Yorkshire Dance has spent the past 18 months working closely with the North Yorkshire and York Dance Hub to develop ‘Rural Steps’ – a project which will establish youth dance groups across 6 areas of North Yorkshire and support a group of dance artists to develop their professional practice.

The project has been awarded £38,000 from Arts Council England and will enable youth dance to establish and thrive in Ingleton, Skipton, Harrogate, Northallerton, Thirsk and Scarborough. The project is supported by Rural Arts, Create, The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Craven District Council, Hambleton District Council, Harrogate College, York Theatre Royal, York Dance Space, York St John University and Gecko Physical Theatre and is supported by the wider partnership of the North Yorkshire and York Dance Hub.

6 local artists based in North Yorkshire or York were recruited prior to submission and will receive professional training from Gecko Physical Theatre and further development support from coach and mentor Rivca Rubin.

The project will enable a curated performance event, ‘Dance It Up North’ at York Theatre Royal in 2019, providing opportunities for both young people and professionals to showcase a range of performance work, celebrating the breadth of dance in the area.

“We are thrilled that Arts Council and all the partners involved see the value and importance of ‘Rural Steps’. It’s a fantastic achievement for the hub and shows their commitment to young people and bringing them high quality dance opportunities in sometimes hard to reach communities. The project has huge potential and we are sure with the guidance from Gecko and partners that ‘Rural Steps’ will be the beginning of a healthy youth dance scene across North Yorkshire.” York Dance Space.