Some of the country’s most promising young dancers join us at the Marlowe for this groundbreaking training school.

Cygnet School is a fully subsidised talent development programme for young dancers run by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, a Marlowe Theatre resident company.

The programme brings together 15 young dancers for monthly residential weekends at the Marlowe to learn, train and explore the work of Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures. Over the course of a year, each outstanding cohort develops their skills, learns about the industry, and grows towards possible future careers in dance. The year ends with a performance at the Marlowe of a dance piece collaboratively devised by the group.

Cygnet School dancers

Each Cygnet School cohort consists of dancers aged 12–18 (or up to the age of 24 if d/Deaf or disabled) who are passionate about movement and acting. The programme is particularly interested in welcoming dancers from a global majority background, as well as young people who may have experienced fewer opportunities in dance and those who may have barriers to access due to cost.

Shine a Light

Dancers also benefit throughout the year from the expertise and experience of the Marlowe’s Careers Ambassadors, who are drawn from the theatre’s staff. The Career Ambassadors lead a series of workshops for Cygnet School dancers called Shine a Light, where they discuss their lives and work at the Marlowe – everything from fundraising to marketing. The workshops are designed to help the young dancers understand that there are other career paths in the arts open to them away from the spotlight.

More information

You can read more about Cygnet School at the New Adventures website and in a series of reports written by Professor Angela Pickard, Professor of Dance Education and Director of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts & Health at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Professor Pickard observed Cygnet School over three years (2021–2024) to create her Evaluation Report, which you can read in summary or complete form. She followed these twin publications in 2025 with a second report into the power of performance – centred on a dance work devised by Cygnet School’s dancers that premiered at the Marlowe ahead of a performance of New Adventures’ Swan Lake in 2025. Read it here.