The dance development organisation for Yorkshire presents Dance Creates in partnership with The Children & Young People’s Dance Network North, which aims to offer networking opportunities, co-ordinate training and professional development sessions and share youth dance activity across the north.

Dance Creates will examine young people’s voice in dance choreography and performance through a day of debates, practical workshops, talks and performances.

The conference community will ask how we can best enable young people to express and explore their own creativity in dance, and how they can be empowered as artists.

Practical and discussion sessions will be led by a variety of dance artists and companies, including One Dance UK, National Youth Dance Company and Vincent Dance Theatre.

International guests include Michael Keegan-Dolan, Artistic Director of Teac Damsa and 2015-2016 Guest Artistic Director of National Youth Dance Company, and Dirk de Lathauwer of fABULEUS, the Belgium-based theatre and dance company which focuses on young audience and talent development.

There will be a screening of several dance films from Channel 4’s Random Acts North. Each film is directed by a young artist or filmmaker between the age of 16 and 24. The screening will include films by young dance artists from the north of England; Lizzie Klotz, Josh Hawkins, Akeim Toussaint Buck and Alex Ayre. This will be followed by a Q&A session with some of the filmmakers.

The day will also feature a live, premiere performance by Hull Youth Dance, whose members have been working with the National Youth Dance Company to create a curtain-raiser for the forthcoming NYDC tour.

Hannah Robertshaw, Programmes Director of Yorkshire Dance, says,

“Dance Creates is one of our most exciting conferences to date, bringing together national and international perspectives and involving young people from across the North of England. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Children and Young People’s Dance Network North and hosting the event in the newly renovated Square Chapel in Halifax which provides a beautiful location for what will be a thought-provoking and inspiring day.”

Dance Creates takes place on Thursday 26 October 2017, at Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax. Early-Bird booking discounts are available for conference tickets until Thursday 31 August.

Tickets for Dance Creates are available now, priced £20 – £45, from our box office, 0113 243 8765 or online.