Afrocats is a not for profit arts organisation, established in 2003.  Its founder, Magdalen Bartlett, studied Dance and Drama at De Montfort University in Bedford, and completed a City & Guilds teaching Qualification at City College in Manchester. She has trained and performed with a variety of dance artists including the Ghanian Dance Ensemble, Peter Badejo and Shikisha, amongst others.

Magdalen is both an accomplished teacher of dance and drama and an experienced workshop facilitator, who has managed and developed projects with excluded groups and people of all ages. She has worked with Contact Theatre, M6, TIPP, Manchester City College (over a five-year period), Green Room, Zion Arts Centre, Community Arts Northwest and numerous schools and youth centres.

Afrocats was a nominated finalist in the Art Council’s prestigious Art06 awards for its production of Where is Home, a theatre piece which explores the issues faced by young refugees in the UK. A regional theatre tour of this production is being planned.  Magdalen gives regular presentations to other organisations on best practices in working with refugees in the arts. 

Since creating Afrocats, Magdalen has seen it grow from its initial three members to acquiring over fifty, who have gained much publicity and recognition for their work and performances at festivals, conferences and cultural events in Manchester. The group has become an inspiration to other community groups in using multicultural dance and drama to develop young people’s personal and social skills. 

Afrocats’ ethos is to create unity within diversity through integration, raising awareness using cultural arts and performance.

Afrocats have performed at many events and locations including the Refugee Cultural Festival, Unity Festival, Dancing In The Streets Festival, Garden of Delights Festival, Now We Talkin' project at Zion Arts, Showreel at Contact Theatre, Summit at GMEX, St. Mary's Hospital for LIME, and the Agenda 2010 Conference at Manchester’s Town Hall.

“I don’t know how to explain it but it’s the joy inside, you use all the strength and you think ‘I’ve got to do it’… I just love the beat, the drums and when I’m dancing, even if I’ve got problems or I’m stressed or something I just put that thing behind me”.

Member of the Afrocats company.

“I call it dancing with the spirit, because it’s like you dance from within, the drum plays and you move, you don’t count, you don’t think, it just happens, it’s free… At the end of ‘Where is Home?’ when one of the Afrocats dances and she just jumps, you get that feeling, she’s out there”.

Magdalen Bartlett, Afrocats founder and co-ordinator.