Déda Academy

The Déda Academy is a centre for excellence and engagement for children and young people aged 18 months – 19 years, and up to 25 years for children and young people with a disability. Déda’s class progression route provides opportunities for children's drop-in classes offering a variety of dance/ dance and contemporary circus styles, youth performance companies, and on to undergraduate and postgraduate training in partnership with the University of Derby.

The academy is part of the Déda Artistic Programme with inspirational guest artists delivering masterclasses and workshops throughout the year. Young people in the Déda Youth Performance Companies have regular opportunities to perform including through the U.Dance. 

Children are introduced to the fundamental principles of dance through play and creative movement activities alongside their grown-ups in our Déda Minis classes. Children can then progress to attending classes on their own from the age of four, moving through our Déda Kids and Déda Juniors sections of the academy. 

The Déda Academy enables children and young people to develop their skills in improvisation, choreography, performance and dance and contemporary circus appreciation. The classes are a mixture of drop-in and pay termly sessions in a range of styles and techniques.

Young people aged 10 years+ can also attend one of our Déda Youth Performance Companies, which are linked to U.Dance performance opportunities regionally and nationally as well as other performance ad hoc opportunities throughout the year.

Déda also has a gifted and talented youth performance company linked to the Dance4 Centre for Advanced Training (CAT), Bounceback. Enrollment is by audition. Our Youth Dance and Circus Company (levels 1 & 2) is also enrollment by audition. 

For more information, please contact the Box Office on 01332 370911.

Déda works in partnership with Dance4 and other county partners in the East Midlands region to enable young people to take part in dance performances through the national U.Dance framework, devised and managed by One Dance UK Interface - the county youth dance platform for Derby and Derbyshire - is one of those performance opportunities. Interface is presented by Déda, in partnership with Dance4 and the Derbyshire Schools Sports Association. Déda works in partnership with the East Midlands Children and Young People Dance Alliance Group to develop local, regional and national level performance opportunities for all young people.