The first few months of 2018 have seen an extraordinary amount of youth dance taking place around Yorkshire, and we’re delighted to celebrate everyone who’s helped to make it happen. Young dancers from every corner of the region have performed to huge audiences in all kinds of indoor and outdoor venues.

Nine major events featured over 1400 young dancers, representing more than 100 youth dance companies, performing to a total estimated audience of well over 5000 people.

Hall Cross Academy in Doncaster hosted Nexus, a collaborative dance platform for secondary schools and groups across Doncaster, performing in a range of styles from ballet to Bharatanatyam, and gymnastics to jazz.

The South Bank Hub held its Regional Youth Dance Showcase Event – an event which alternates annually between Grimsby and Scunthorpe – at Grimsby Auditorium.

Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Access and Education Department presented their annual Yorkshire Youth Dance Platform at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds, bringing together invited youth companies from across the region as well as groups that work directly with Phoenix practitioners.

Northern School of Contemporary Dance’s Community Dance Platform was its latest annual showcase of work by school, youth and community groups, among them several inclusive companies, at the Riley Theatre, Leeds.

NSCD also staged a four-hour event – Collide: Boys Dance Takeover – in seven locations around Leeds city centre. Over 2000 people stopped to watch the professional and community dance companies of all-male performers. It was funded by Leeds Inspired and developed to highlight the under-representation of males in dance.

Three FRESH Sub-Regional Dance Platforms were staged: one by the South Yorkshire Hub at Horizon College (Barnsley); one by the South Bank Hub at the Plowright Theatre (Scunthorpe); and one by the Hull & East Riding Hub at Hull College’s Riverside Theatre. These hubs featured companies from their local areas and acted as selection routes to FRESH 2018.

FRESH 2018, Yorkshire Dance’s regional U.Dance platform, featured a day-long programme of workshops, a ‘fringe’ performance in the De Grey Rooms and an evening performance on the main stage of York Theatre Royal. For the first time in its nine-year history, FRESH this year included a screendance strand and a company of primary-age children, from York’s own Hempland Primary School, among companies from every corner of Yorkshire.

Claire Somerville, Head of Children & Young People’s Dance at One Dance UK, has attended FRESH many times in recent years. She commented, “I’m always struck by the talent and creativity of the youth dance groups I see at FRESH, which is a testament to the long-term commitment and investment across the region, into children and young people’s dance. FRESH is always jam-packed with workshops and performances and feels like a bite-size national U.Dance festival.”

Read more here.

We’re delighted to salute and celebrate all the young dancers, dance-leaders, artists, teachers and organisations, in every corner of Yorkshire, behind this amazing range of youth dance. We’re very proud to be working alongside you all!