The BRIT Reach Festival
The BRIT Reach Festival is an annual community festival run by The BRIT School which engages 18-20 local community partners in five weekly workshops, culminating in a festival day at The BRIT School, where all groups share their work and take part in creative activities.
The BRIT Reach Festival is about diversity, inclusion and community collaboration. We work with a range of community groups, including; nurseries, primary schools, secondary schools, Pupil Referral Units, SEN Schools, care homes, people living with Dementia, people living with Parkinson’s Disease and day centres for adults with learning disabilities.
Organisations we have worked with are:
- Dance for Parkinson’s
- St John’s Care Home
- Whitehorse Community Hub
- Leonard Cheshire Home
- The Link School
- Selhurst Children’s Centre
- Archbishop Lanfranc Secondary School
- The Crescent Primary School
Participants say:
“I learnt that it's possible to be taught and perform a new dance with confidence, even with my condition. It's the kind of experience I'd never have had if I didn't have Parkinson's - and in a strange way that's what made it special.”
Participant from Dance for Parkinson’s
“I learned about dancing, singing and projection and lots about nature, animals and even about growing trees to save the wildlife. We turned our knowledge into a dance.”
Primary School Student
“It felt very inclusive [...] Wouldn't miss an experience like this for the world.”
Secondary School Student
Staff from partnering organisations say:
“An incredibly uplifting and positive experience for our clients. A rare opportunity to get to work across generations with skilled and talented students, to be challenged and cared for in equal measure and gain new skills in performance and choreography.” Staff member at Residential Care Home.
“This is the third year we have been a part of the festival and each year it feels really special. All creativity is celebrated and the atmosphere is one of collaboration and celebration; not judgement and competition.” - Secondary School Teacher
The festival is now in its fourth year and we are keen to collaborate with new partners in our local area. If you are interested, please read through the ‘Logistics’ section for more details, then sign up by emailing an expression of interest here
Logistics to Participate
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The festival takes place during June and July each year. The workshops take place on Tuesdays, starting at the beginning of June and the festival usually takes place on the second Friday of July
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The workshops run for 1-1.5 hours and are usually run at your organisation in a large studio/hall space.
- For school groups, we can accommodate 15-30 students for the project. The same students must take part throughout the project. For other community groups, we ask for a minimum of 8 participants.
- Workshops will be run by a member of BRIT Staff and assisted by 10-15 BRIT students from performing arts courses. At least one member of staff from your organisation must be present throughout the workshop sessions and on the festival day.
- We encourage a selection of participants who may have less access to the arts outside of their school studies and/or day-to-day life to take part in this project.
- Invitations for the BRIT Reach Festival are sent in January / February and places are allocated on a first come first served basis.
- Please note this project is only open to invited schools and organisations, not individuals. The festival day is not a public event and only invited community members can attend.
Little People's Day
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If you are a nursery or primary school, we have an opportunity for your Early Years, Reception or Year 1 students: Little People’s Day! This runs alongside the BRIT Reach Festival in July and is an opportunity for young children to have access to creative activities and facilities at our school. To sign up for the mailing list for this project, please email here.
