Future4Youth – the brainchild of Impact Dance’s founder and Artistic Director Hakeem Onibudo – is an exciting partnership between Impact Dance and the African Cultural Exchange Dance and Music. It is calling youth dance companies from all genres of dance to be selected to embark on a unique journey which will focus on dances of the African Diaspora and its relationship with hip-hop.
Twenty youth companies from the UK will be invited to take part in two workshops in May and June in Birmingham and London; following these stages ten companies will be invited to perform at a youth celebration platform in October. The workshops will be lead by Vicki Igbokwe (UCHENNA), Kenrick Sandy (BOY BLUE), Alesandra Seutin (VOCAB), Impact Dance and ACE Dance and Music. The focus will be on working with leading artists in these genres, and one youth company will go on to perform at Peacock Theatre, London, in February 2016. Running parallel is a Mentoring/Leadership programme for the young dancers in the companies, forming part of Impact Dance’s 20th Anniversary Celebrations.
Youth Companies must have members between the ages of 11-19, and the companies that are successfully chosen to perform at the platform in October can be represented by a maximum of 12 dancers. The initial 20 companies that are selected will receive a bursary of £400 per company to cover travel, and the ten successful companies who progress after July to the October platform will receive an additional bursary of £300 per company.
The opportunity offered by Future4Youth is one which aims to both develop youth dance in the genres of the African Diaspora and its relationship with hip-hop, as well as performances for young, aspiring dancers who will simultaneously gain experience in working as part of a team for the same end.