Youth Dance - National Opportunities

Through our partnership with Youth Dance England (YDE), who are the the national organisation that champions and promotes dance for all children and young people, there are a number of national opportunities for young people from the West Midlands to get involved with dance nationally.

Further information about YDE can be found on their website www.yde.org.uk

Young Creatives 2012

YDE Young Creatives is a national initiative that focuses on developing the skills of young choreographers through mentoring, residential workshops and performance opportunities. Designed for 15-19 year olds (24 if disabled), the programme aims to give young choreographers all the skills needed to create high quality dance. Working in partnership with the Royal Opera House, The Royal Ballet School and professional choreographers, YDE Young Creatives offers a unique experience with prestigious artists and facilities at two world-class organisations.

The programme includes a Skills Boosting Weekend to improve the participants' understanding of choreographic techniques; a fifteen-week mentoring period during which participants will work with their professional mentor to produce and perfect their dance piece; 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.

You can visit www.yde.org.uk/ydeyoungcreatives to find out more about the programme and apply.

U.Dance 2012

U.Dance is the national programme that aims to give every child and young person in England the opportunity to take part in a dance performance each year. The programme includes a vast range of dance performances from primary school dance performances that bring together children from across a family of schools, to the national dance performance for hundreds of young people. Find out more at www.u-dance.org.

U.Dance 2012 will run from 13th to 16th July next year at Southbank Centre in London — with three days of workshops for young people, three nights of performances by young dancers, and an international symposium for dance professionals. This event aimed at highlighting and developing talented young dancers between 11 and 19 years old will offer a number of opportunities for young people to be involved.  There are two ways for young people to get involved. Firstly, you can apply as part of a youth group through the regional platform events – the West Midlands is hosting Raw Energy on 29th January 2012. Secondly, individuals can apply to be part of the U.Dance Ensemble, a national youth company with young dancers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information about how to apply and details about the whole event visit www.yde.org.uk.

dx’s U.Dance Raw Energy will be held at the Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent on 29th January 2012 and will be the regional selection event for the national platform in July.

Dance opportunities in your area...

To find out more about dance opportunities in your local area you can contact the following:

Rosie Gunn // Birmingham and the West Midlands // DanceXchange

Clare Wood // Worcestershire & Herefordshire // Dancefest

Laura Simmons // Dudley and The Black Country // Dudley Performing Arts

Hayley Guest // Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire // Dancescape

Nicola Hughes // Stoke-on-Trent // Creative Learning, Stoke

Alison Lord // Staffordshire

Justine Ranson // Telford // Telford Culture Zone

Alexa Pugh // Shropshire