Into Our Skies: Space in Schools

As a performer Lucy connects with audiences across the UK and internationally, dancing with companies such as Casson &Friends, Made by Katie Green, and About Time Dance Company. She champions the unique, versatile and engaging power of dance and performs in diverse settings, including theatres, museums, caves, outdoors, at street arts festivals, for operas, and for film.

Outreach is integral to Lucy’s practice. She teaches workshops for schools, public engagement, and for professional and company classes, providing active and creative experiences for participants to enjoy a variety of subjects and themes. Lucy is a guest tutor for the UCLan Dance Performance and Teaching degree course, she delivers studio practice, technique, improvisation, and text workshops.

In 2018 Lucy began work on Into Our Skies, a performance and outreach project for Lucy Starkey Dances. In 2019 she was awarded Arts Council England funding to develop the solo performance piece, which is central to the project and inspired the development of the Into Our Skies: Space in Schools programme of creative resources.

Lucy studied Contemporary Dance at world renowned conservatoires London Contemporary Dance School (2006-2009) and Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Postgraduate company VERVE, 2009-2010)

She has an endless curiosity for all things dynamic, moving, and theatrical.

Lucystarkeydances.com

In 2012 Joanne re-opened UCLan’s Alston Observatory to the public, schools and community groups who now visit regularly. As an Ogden Science Officer (2013 – 2018) Joanne worked closely with local teachers in Preston to create a program of activities for pupils across years 7-13 (age 11-18) and recognises the crucial role teachers play in encouraging their pupils in STEM subjects.

Joanne was awarded a First-Class Honours in Astrophysics (MPhys) from the University of Liverpool and went on to complete her PhD at the University of Sheffield. Her research investigates how some of the most massive stars in the Universe evolve and die as supernova explosions and she uses data from some of the world’s leading telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope.

Following her PhD, Joanne was offered a Hilary Lipsitz Research Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History in New York where alongside her research she fell in love with Public Engagement, contributing to a NASA-funded after-school program for under-served high school students in the five boroughs of New York.

Ruth has vast experience of working as a dance artist and educator, in mainstream and SEND schools and colleges, delivering creative arts programmes, research projects, INSET training and in/out of school mentoring programmes both independently and in partnership with national and international arts organisations. Ruth supports and advises on the development and implementation of high-quality dance education programmes and authors writes accompanying teaching resources. In 2016, Ruth worked with Joanne Pledger in the ‘Exploring Light and Dark Project delivering science-themed dance workshops to KS2 groups encouraging engagement, curiosity and enthusiasm in STEM subjects and the arts. The Space in Schools Project enables Ruth, as part of UCLanDance (Centre of Excellence in Learning, Participation and Advocacy), to continue to develop and promote cross-disciplinary working.

Lee is a long-time collaborator with Lucy Starkey, composing the music for her show 'Into Our Skies' and producing the films for Into Our Skies: Space in Schools. His work also includes composition and sound design for the Cardboard Citizens show Who Are Yer?, Imagine If’s ‘Jadek’, Fallen Angels’ collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet for the show ‘The War Within’, John-Rwoth Omack’s ‘Fargone’ in association with Utopia Theatre, The Knotted Project and Hawkdance Theatre’s Outside the Igloo and Love is a Battlefield, with poet Louise Fazackerley for BBC Radio 3 and New Voices. He is also a regular collaborator with Sheffield Theatres.

Lee has a long history of delivering high quality workshops that provide creative and practical experiences for participants of all ages.

2021 sees Lee working with Imagine If Theatre, British Library and Fallen Angels. Lee is an associate artist with The Bare Project and Imagine If Theatre.