National Youth Dance Company

New Work For The National Youth Dance Company

The National Youth Dance Company will present a world premiere at its Sadler’s Wells home on 10 April, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, this year’s Guest Artistic Director. NYDC will return for its third year with a new intake of 30 talented dancers who join eight returners from the previous cohorts. Cherkaoui is one of the most prolific choreographers working today: he is one of Europe’s most exciting choreographers.

Following the premiere of new commission Frame[d], NYDC will tour the UK to locations including Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Ipswich, Bournemouth and Plymouth. The new piece will see Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Cherkaoui revisiting moments from his established catalogue of work in order to illustrate the influence and creativity that emerging dance artists can bring to a professional dance collaboration.

Throughout the dancers’ time with NYDC they are given a unique insight into the profession, gaining skills and techniques that will stay with them throughout their careers. As a result, NYDC is fast establishing a reputation for producing high quality performances from a company of dancers who are expressive and energise the stage.

Since NYDC’s inception, 1,000 young people have worked with the company through the delivery of 47 workshops in 21 different venues. The young company has featured in 22 performances, visiting 15 different venues across the UK. 90 dancers have joined the company overall, working intensively with renowned dance artists including Guest Artistic Directors Jasmin Vardimon (2012-13), Akram Khan (2013-14) and Cherkaoui (2014-15). These dancers come from 43 different UK towns and cities.

The company has proven that its existence is vital for the health of the dance sector, in that there is a pipeline of talent feeding it from many different avenues. It is also clear that more still needs to be done to nurture young and emerging talent; what will the future hold?

NYCD To Work With Akram Khan

The National Youth Dance Company is an exciting new company, as part of Sadler’s Wells, that aims to create and perform innovative and influential youth dance. It has announced that it will be working with Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan as next guest Artistic Director. Following the company’s work with similarly celebrated choreographer Jasmin Vardimon, 30 new members will joining the current company to present a new work specifically created for NYDC; the piece will receive its world premiere on 16 April 2014 at Sadler’s Wells. The new work will be performed as part of a double bill that will feature a reworked excerpt of Khan’s Vertical Road.

The newly recruited members were selected from sixteen workshops held in 9 different regions across the country, resulting in 20 male and 10 female dancers aged 15 – 19 gaining the privilege to work with award-winning dancer and choreographer Khan. Khan thoroughly enjoys working with young people with passion and ambition. He believes, and rightly so, that the positive role of the arts in our society is fundamental in providing young people with the skills they need to succeed in any walk of life. NYDC is a fantastic opportunity to nurture the next generation of artists and inspire a host of young people to get involved with dance.

Since its inception in 2012 NYDC has seen over 500 young dancers attend 27 workshops across England. Over June and July 2013 NYDC took part in nine performances seen by over 5,000 people in a range of venues, from large scale theatres to site specific outdoor stages, in locations stretching from London to Leeds, Bristol to Kent. Having set a very high standard with their sold out debut performance of Jasmin Vardimon’s (in between), the young dancers of NYDC have shown that they can hold their own alongside established companies on the main stage at Sadler’s Wells.

Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over a decade he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the cultural arts in the UK and abroad and his reputation has gained from his imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.

Sadler’s Wells has been announced as the host organisation for the new National Youth Dance Company, an exciting new company aiming to create and perform innovative and influential youth dance. The NYDC hopes to draw together some of the brightest young talent from across the country to work with the internationally renowned Associate Artists of Sadler’s Wells, so pull on your leotard and get moving!

February 2013 will see the NYDC meet during school holidays at Sadler’s Wells and other regional venues in order to participate in four intensive weeks of training per year. The company will give its young members the opportunity to work with a range of inspirational teachers and choreographers, to learn, create and perform original work, drawing on a number of dance techniques including contemporary, hip hop, ballet and south Asian dance. What a fantastic opportunity to engage and get involved in a potential career starter.

As a result, the NYDC is seeking dancers aged 16-18 who are passionate about dance, who come from diverse backgrounds with experience in any dance style, and who simply love to perform. Be it in leg warmers and jazz pants, or pointe shoes and pink ballet tights, the NYDC wants to hear from you! As a member of the NYDC, young dancers will have the chance to work with 2013’s guest Artistic Director Jasmin Vardimon, a choreographer at the forefront of today’s dance scene. Members will also have the opportunity to perform in world class venues, learn different dance styles, take part in intensive rehearsals, collaborate with professional choreographers and companies and find out about career pathways and different opportunities.

NYDC experience workshops have also been announced, preceding the 2013 residencies and performances.

NYDC Experience Workshops
25 November	Ipswich, DanceEast
2 December	London, Sadler’s Wells
15	Swindon Dance
6 January	Salford, The Lowry
19	Leeds, Yorkshire Dance
20	Newcastle, Dance City
26	Leicester, Curve Theatre
27	Kent, The Jasmin Vardimon Production Space
2 February	Birmingham Royal Ballet Studios
9	London, Sadler’s Wells
10 (Final selection)	London, Sadler’s Wells
NYDC 2013 Residencies
1-12 April	The Jasmin Vardimon Production Space
26 May-2 June	London, Sadler’s Wells
NYDC Performances
8 June	London, Sadler’s Wells
28/29	London, Sadler’s Wells
30	Kent, The Jasmin Vardimon Production Space
20 July	Leeds, U.Dance 2013
21	Salford, The Lowry
27/28	Bristol

Image courtesy of NYCD.