We are excited to announce the line up for FRESH 2026, our annual youth dance festival, which is taking place across Leeds on Saturday 18 April. 

You can expect high quality dance routines showcasing anything from contemporary to street dance (and everything in between). During the day all youth groups performing come together at FRESH workshops to rehearse a group routine which they will perform on the night as a grand finale. 

Youth dance groups from across Yorkshire were selected by a panel of local dance professionals representing a variety of different dance styles. 

Tickets are available now for both the matinee at Leeds City College and evening performances at Leeds Playhouse. 

Matinee Tickets     Evening Tickets

Matinee stage line up: 

Dance United Yorkshire 

Franklin College  

Fuego 

High Storrs Dance Company  

Mechanics

Phoenix Youth Academy Junior 

Rhythmosaic Youth 

Stage 84 – The Yorkshire School of Performing Arts Advanced Contemporary Dancers 

Foyer Stage line up:

Bust-A-Move Leeds 

The Ambassadors at East Riding Youth Dance 

Nova Arts College 

Evening stage line up: 

CAPA College  

CAPA Juniors 

CHARGE Boys  

Essence at Leeds City College  

Horizon Community College 

Hornsea School & Language College  

Leeds Academy of Contemporary Dance at Trinity Academy Leeds 

Nova City 

Phoenix Youth Academy Seniors  

RJC Dance Shahck Out 

Street Beat Elite  

York Youth Dance 

Meet the selection panel: 

Thank you to our panel of experts who chose this years line up.

Dr Becky Parry

Becky is the Creative Learning Manager for Children’s Capital of Culture, co-leading the Reach Dance festival in 2025 with School Games where over twenty schools created new dance pieces that explored the Children’s Capital of Culture themes. You can find out more about Reach in this short film. In her own time, Becky is a member of the Third Bite Dance company in Sheffield.

Charlotte Arnold 

Charlotte is a versatile performer, facilitator and director working across contemporary dance, education and socially engaged practice. A BA and MA graduate of NSCD, she performs, teaches and creates inclusive work for communities, schools and professional stages internationally and collaboratively.

Joachim Keke

Joachim is a Bradford-based multidisciplinary dance and theatre artist with a long-standing practice. His work spans performance, facilitation, and artistic development, centring Afro-diasporic movement and intergenerational practice through research-led processes in contemporary dance and theatre contexts.

Ruby Cole 

Ruby has been dancing since the age of five and training with Street Beat since she was eight. Ruby studied BTEC Dance at New College and recently completed the Young Creatives Programme, funded by Arts Council England. Ruby teaches a wide range of styles & as a performer has competed internationally in Germany and trained with prestigious artists, including workshops with Boy Blue and Diversity. Ruby is currently a member of Street Beat Elite & represented Yorkshire at U.Dance last year. She is also a part of Rawthentic, a new touring urban dance company & has performed with KO Productions as well as on the Channel 4 TV show Dreamers.