News Young Creatives 2012 Announced!

The Young Creatives for 2012 have been announced and we are pleased to say that we have two representatives from the West Midlands region.

Iona McGuire who is 15 years old from Birmingham was nominated by regional dance artist Clare Palethorpe. Iona who is also a Centre for Advanced Training student at dx said, ‘I still can’t believe I have been selected for the Young Creatives scheme!  The next few months are going to be an invaluable experience for me. I can’t wait to meet my mentor and get started on my new piece. When I first found out I screamed and jumped around a lot. It took a while to sink in. I had to keep reading the letter to make sure it was true’.

Also selected is Aaron Baugh, who is 17 years old from Wolverhampton and was nominated by his dance teacher Katie Dowson. Aaron is part of Flexus Dance Company and Flexus Boys Youth, and has also performed with Fidget Dance Company, in Youth Dance England’s U.Dance events and at dx’s regional performance platform Raw Energy at The Patrick Centre.

The young Choreographer’s Experiences:

The Young Creatives Selection Event took place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th November, and with lots of applicants from the West Midlands heading down, we got them to document their day. Regional Dance Artist, Clare Palethorpe, who worked with many of them at Choreolab, and dx’s Class Programme Coordinator, Cat Boffy went with them.

Choreolab was held at dx in August in partnership with Youth Dance England (YDE), and was a free Choreolab course for young dance artists aged 15–19 (up to 24 years if disabled), aimed at helping to prepare them for Young Creatives. Iona, who has been selected said,’ The experience I gained at Choreolab was invaluable. Claire Palethorpe’s tasks really prepared me for the share and selection event and built my confidence in choreography.  Choreolab also built my confidence in working with other dancers’.

Before they arrived at the Royal Opera House, Charlotte, 15, said, ‘I’m looking forward to meeting choreographers and seeing what I can come up with to show at the end of the day! And Rob, 16, said, ‘I am looking forward to creating more interesting choreography with new people and learning new techniques and sharing ideas’.

Following the experience Megan, 15, said, ‘I enjoyed the day, I found the tasks easier because I have experienced similar activities on Centre for Advanced Training. Overall I really thought the day was exciting and a great opportunity to dance in the Royal Opera House studios!’

Next the new Young Creatives will attend a Skill Boosting Weekend (SBW) in early January 2012 and be assigned a professional mentor. Following this they will embark on a fifteen-week mentoring period during which participants will work with their mentor to produce and perfect their dance piece. The Young Creatives will then take part in a week-long residential where they will further refine their skills through workshops with each other and professional choreographers; and finally a prestigious performance of their new works at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio Theatre, on 4th May 2012.

Visit the YDE website for more information about Young Creatives