Artist Support
We invest in dance artists to make sure their practice can thrive:
- No Dress Code is our annual scratch night giving local artists the chance to share works-in-progress.
- Our festival programme provides opportunities to perform and lead workshops.
- Free artist co-working space in our building. The space includes free WiFi, access to hot drinks and a dance library. Open during Yorkshire Dance opening hours.
- We offer a range of services including standby studio space, residencies and much more. To keep up to date with the latest opportunities subscribe to our artist newsletter.
1 to 1 Artist Advisories
We offer creative and practical advice to dance artists based in and making work in Yorkshire, providing support for artist’s individual needs, at any stage of their career.
Our Producers have a wealth of experience in project- and artist-development and in community and participation work, and are able to help with areas such as:
- developing clear and compelling artistic ideas
- writing budgets and funding applications
- finding collaborators and partners
- planning and booking tours
- signposting contacts and opportunities
- marketing your work
To register your interest please email João Maio (JoaoMaio@yorkshiredance.com) and Tammy Tsang (Tammy Tsang@yorkshiredance.com) with a short statement on what you would like to discuss
Collective Encounters | 30-31 May 2025
A festival of dance for LGBTQ+ folx and their allies.
Taking place in Leeds on 30 and 31 May 2025, Collective Encounters aims to celebrate the plurality of LGBTQ+ voices and experiences whilst nurturing allyship and community.
We invite you to join us for this two day festival of bold, inspiring and unique dance performances, talks and workshops celebrating LGBTQ+ identities and allyship. Featuring local and international artists.
The full festival line up will be announced in Spring 2025.
Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale.
Collective Encounters will take place at Yorkshire Dance.
Company of People
Company of People are an intergenerational community performance company, creating high quality dance work.
The group is rooted in the communities of Chapeltown and Harehills and works closely with four key partners: RJC Dance, Feel Good Factor, House of Flava and Space2. The company is shaped by its members and celebrates humanity and personal stories, histories and identities.
The project began in the summer of 2021, establishing 4 groups that meet weekly to socialise and dance together. From January 2022, weekly and monthly workshops invite all groups to come together to create performance work.
In 2022 Company of People performed their first work, ‘In Your Shoes’ to a sold out audience at Leeds Playhouse as part of Yorkshire Dance’s Ageless Festival. The Company also performed at Yorkshire Dance’s 40th birthday in October 2022.
In summer 2023 Company of People returned to the stage as part of a Double Bill at Encounters Dancing in Your Shoes Festival with their new work ‘Epic Everyday’.
Meet our Company of People Artists:
Bakani Pick-Up
Izzy Brittain
Kate Cox
TC Howard
Company of People is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Creative Europe and sits within a wider European Project called Performing Gender: Dancing in Your Shoes.
Dance in the North
Dance in the North is an informal network of organisations based in the North West, Yorkshire and the North East who are committed to programming dance and supporting the development of independent dance artists and companies. The network began to form in 2021, through a series of conversations amongst a growing group who found shared interest in artist development.
The network currently includes Yorkshire Dance, Kala Sangam, Dance City, Cheshire Dance, The Civic in Barnsley, Together (previously Merseyside Dance Initiative), The Lowry in Salford, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Lancaster Arts, CAST Theatre in Doncaster, Dance Consortia North West, Culture Warrington and Absolutely Cultured in Hull. We are working together to explore ways in which we can further support the development of dance across the North of England.
The Dance in the North brochure collates information on what dance organisations in the North can offer to artists. View and download the brochure below to find out more.
Dance On
Dance On is a fantastic opportunity to try something new, get active and meet new people. There are currently 24 classes taking place across Leeds and Bradford. Whether you’ve always danced, or you’re wanting to try something new, everyone is welcome and your first taster session is always free.
Please click here for class timetables and contact Hannah Treharne to join a class: hannahtreharne@yorkshiredance.com / 0113 243 9867.
Dance On is currently funded by National Lottery Community Fund which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes, Leeds Public Health in Leeds and Bradford District Council in Bradford.
Please consider joining our regular supporters to support Dance On to continue for many years to come.
More about Dance On, our partners and research:
Dance On was established in 2018 in partnership with One Dance UK, regional partner Yorkshire Dance and local delivery partner darts (Doncaster Community Arts). Funded by Sport England, Dance On aimed to establish at least 30 new dance groups aiming to support over 55s to stay active whilst also having fun.
The University of Leeds carries out research on the programme which looks into how dancing can improve mobility, prevent falls and enhance mental wellbeing and brain function in older adults. The Dance On programme also has the potential to make cost savings for Health and Social Care.
Read our latest research pamphlet (November 2021) to find out more about the health and wellbeing benefits of the programme.
Read our latest research pamphlet
Click the images below to find out more!
The Dance On Toolkit
Whoever you are, and whatever has brought you here, we hope you find the tools you’re looking for to apply the Dance On approach in your own setting.
Dance On is a highly successful community-based dance programme for older adults in Yorkshire. Dance On is a partnership project, created by darts, Yorkshire Dance, One Dance UK and University of Leeds, to increase physical activity and reduce isolation.
In this toolkit we share our practical experience and knowledge of delivering Dance On, backed up by academic research, from across seven years. Having a dance programme for older adults in your area can increase physical activity levels, overall well-being, balance and mood as well as reduce fears of falling. Read on to learn more.
Dance On, 2023 © David Lindsay
Dance Partners
Yorkshire Dance supports three Dance Partner Projects annually, recruited through an open call-out in April/May time.
The artists supported through Dance Partner Projects in 2024-25 are: Alethia Antonia, Kayleigh Price and Phil Sanger.
Yorkshire Dance’s Partner Projects receive tailored producing & dramaturgy support by our Artist Development Producer João Maio, seed funding of £3000 per project, bespoke professional development workshops by (inter)nationally renowned artists and industry experts and residency space in our studios for the development of new work.
Previous artists supported through Dance Partner Projects in 2023-24 were: Jem Clancy, Charlotte Jones, Bakani Pick-Up and Alicia Meehan.
Images (Left to Right): Dancer Michael Marquez © Boneshaker Photography, Kayleigh Price © Daniel Phung and Alethia Antonia © Sean Miller
Encounters Festivals
Yorkshire Dance Encounters Festivals address some of the big questions of our age.
Encounters brings together inspiring dance artists and audiences to share food, conversation, participation and performance in Leeds. We welcome everyone – whether you’re a seasoned regular or it’s your first time watching a dance performance.
We believe dance can make the world a better place. We’ve tackled big subjects from climate change to gender identity exploring feminism and Dandyism. We know dancing together can create new connections with people you may not otherwise meet.
We run 3 biennial Encounters Festivals:
Ageless Festival which reimagines age through dance.
Children & their Grown Ups which invites families to explore imagination and playfulness with work created for children and young people.
Collective Encounters which explores gender and LGBTQ+ identities through dance.
Sign up to our Get Involved Newsletter to find out more about all our upcoming performances, festivals, classes and workshops.
Follow us @yorkshiredance to find out more.
FRESH 2025
FRESH is our annual festival celebrating high quality youth dance from across Yorkshire.
FRESH 2025 will take place on Saturday 19 April at Bradford Alhambra Theatre.
FRESH offers an exciting opportunity for youth dance groups, schools and young people to perform on a professional stage. Youth dance companies from every corner of Yorkshire, with members aged between 11 and 19, are invited to submit applications to perform live or to have their dance-film screened.
A full day’s programme of workshops in a wide range of different dance styles, led by professional dancers, culminates with an evening of performances of the youth companies’ own dance pieces, to audiences of hundreds of dance-lovers.
You can expect high quality dance routines showcasing anything from street dance to Bharatanatyam (and everything in between).
FRESH is part of The U.Dance National Festival. One youth dance group from FRESH 2025 will go on to perform at U.Dance 2025.
Watch our highlights from previous years!
Fresh is free to take part in and open to any style of dance from groups aged 11-19 (25 for any young person with additional needs or a disability) from Yorkshire.
Featured image credit: ‘Explosive’ Leeds City College at FRESH 2019
Photographer: Brian Slater
In Mature Company
Established in 2018, In Mature Company works with Leeds care homes to deliver weekly creative movement sessions for older residents.
Our experienced team of dance artists and musicians respond to resident‘s needs and interests to deliver person-centred creative movement sessions.
Our online Zoom sessions bring staff and residents from different homes together to enjoy a weekly movement experience.
The In Mature Company team support care home staff to develop skills and techniques to introduce creativity within everyday care.
Elaine, Leeds Care home commented: “Residents who would normally not engage or be involved were dancing away to the music and what we noticed was that the residents were interacting with each other too, which was very special and not a normal occurrence.”
Programme Impact
In Mature Company is designed to improve the lives of care home residents who are frail and who may be living with dementia.
The programme uses Dementia Care Mapping to measure the impact of creative sessions on wellbeing, mood, engagement and social connection. We track improvements to participants’ strength and balance (a measure of reduced falls risk) and reduction in the number of hospitals admissions and the amount of time spent asleep during the day. Learn more about our Dementia Care Mapping research.
Artist Team
Our Lead Dance artists for 2024: Rachel Clarke, Inari Hulkkonen and Thom Mckeon
Musicians: Ozzy Moysey, Georgie Buchanan and Dave Mitchell
Lead Dance Artists mentor new artists to build a specialism in working with people living with dementia.
Assistant Dance artists: Tara Balfour, Eleni Green and Shauna McSwiney.
Dementia Care Mappers: Will Fletcher and Elizabeth G
Learn more about the project in our podcast series Yorkshire Dance Presents: Dancing & Dementia and in our animated series, Dancing the Small Moments.
Previously funded through Time to Shine, In Mature Company is currently funded by the NHS.
Dance & Dementia Podcast
We are pleased to share these podcasts that reflect and discuss our 3 year care home project ‘In Mature Company’, which explores the impact of dance and music in reducing the loneliness and isolation of residents living with dementia. The project specifically looks at the impact of touch and how creative sessions can promote a sense of community and wellbeing.
The use of Dementia Care Mapping (TM) as an evaluation tool for an arts intervention is ground-breaking and gives a unique insight into the levels of participation and enjoyment. In these podcasts Lauren and Lily (our Dementia Care Mappers) interview a series of people that have been instrumental in bringing the project to life and how this work has effected them as artists, professionals and people. The team talk about their experiences, thoughts and hopes for the future.
Our podcasts are now available for download on all major streaming services (including Spotify, iTunes).
Episode Five: Project Reflections and What’s Next?
In this bonus episode, we want to reflect on Yorkshire Dance’s “In Mature Company” project so far and discuss why Dementia Care Mapping is a good tool for evaluating people living with Dementia. We also want to address the current pandemic’s impact on this type of work and look ahead to the future of this project or a similar arts project. This episode was co-hosted by Lisa Fearn, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer from our funder, Time to Shine.
Episode Four: An exchange with Care Staff and Family
In this episode, we speak to the Wellbeing Development Manager at Springfield Health Care and Andrew, a relative of a resident. We talk about their relationship with In Mature Company Project from both perspectives. All episodes were recorded live from our homes. Download and listen to episode four now.
Episode Three: A Closer Look at Dementia Care Mapping
This episode we delve into the research tool of Dementia Care Mapping with expert and mentor Lisa Heller. We discuss previous Yorkshire Dance care home project We Danced and our current care home project In Mature Company. All episodes were recorded live from our homes. Download and listen to episode three now.
Episode Two: Dancing the Small Moments- An Artist’s Insight
This episode we are joined by the wonderful dancers and musicians who deliver the creative work in care homes. Join us as we speak to the artist’s about their different approaches, modes of practices and highlights of delivering creative sessions for people living with Dementia. All episodes were recorded live from our homes. Download and listen to episode two now!
Episode One: In Mature Company: A Care Home Project
This podcast series is part of Time to Shine, a six-year programme delivered by Leeds Older People’s Forum and funded through National Lottery Community Fund’s Ageing Better.
Leaps and Bounds
We deliver regular creative dance sessions in Kirkstall, Garforth and at our studios, here in Leeds city centre, for adults with learning disabilities. Participants are challenged to extend their experience of mind-body connection through raising awareness of the body’s expressive, creative and dynamic abilities, as well as raising physical confidence and skill. The sessions are currently led by dance artists Ellen Turner, Mati Torres Laborde and Chloe Smith. Please see the timetable below to find your nearest class:
Wednesdays:
10.00am – 11.30am at Kirkstall Leisure Centre
12.30pm – 2.00pm at Garforth Leisure Centre
Fridays:
1.oopm – 2.30pm at Yorkshire Dance
To find out more information, and how you can join in, please contact Alex at alexgarland@yorkshiredance.com, or give us a call on 0113 243 9867 as some of the classes have a waiting list.
During the pandemic, the tutors Charlotte Jones, Sara Ribeiro, Mati Torres and Ellen Turner created an exciting four part series exploring the natural world and universe (water, wind, the stars and the sun). Follow along with our videos and have the tools to create and build your own improvised routine.
This project is funded by Aspire Community Benefit Society.
If you enjoyed this video please consider joining our regular supporters by visiting our online donate page or text LEAPS to 70450 to donate £5.00 Thank you.
Before taking part in any of our online activity please read the following carefully:
Make sure that you’ve got plenty of space around you to move, and you’ve cleared anything which you could injure yourself on out of the way. It’s really important that you listen to, and take responsibility for, your own body – please don’t do anything which hurts or which feels a bit difficult in the space you have. If you’re on a slippery floor, like tiles or wood, take your socks off, and if you’re on carpet, keep your socks on to protect your feet from carpet burns. Make sure you’ve got some water handy and that your body feels ready to move! If you have any specific health issues or medical conditions, please check with your parent/carer or your GP before joining the class. Have fun and enjoy!