WELCOME

Andrew Hurst MBE Chief Executive, One Dance UK

The nation’s youth dance festival, an inspiring symbol of the future of dance, is back for another year!

The U.Dance National Festival celebrates the quality and vibrancy of young people’s dance across our nation. Over three days in venues across Newcastle, witness the showcases involving almost 450 talented young dancers, chosen by regional and national panels, along with special guest companies and artists. The U.Dance National Festival celebrates young dancers from all over the UK, as well as shining a spotlight on the talent from the North East region, and on emerging choreographers through One Dance UK’s Young Creatives programme.

Participants will work with internationally renowned artists who will inspire them to develop their dance skills and introduce them to new creative ideas, taking part in technique classes, choreography workshops, mentoring and discussion sessions.

Alongside this, U.Dance on Screen showcases will take place at BFI Southbank and online, featuring exceptional youth dance films, with additional exciting workshop content on offer for these talented young dancers.

Special thanks to our funders Arts Council England and Bronze and Access Sponsor, Trinity Laban, and the dedicated volunteers who help us bring this wonderful event to life.

Join us in celebrating the next generation of dance performers, creators and leaders. The future of dance is right here!

Laura Nicholson Head of Children and Young People’s Dance, One Dance UK

Dance has the ability to entertain, to challenge, to make us think differently and to make us question. I am certain that nobody achieves this with more power and conviction than the UK’s young people, who never fail to amaze me with their talent, energy, tenacity and creative courage.

The U.Dance National Festival weekend is an incredible and joyful celebration of the exceptional outcomes that can be achieved when young people are given opportunities to excel and shine. This serves to strengthen even further our passionate belief that access to high-quality dance for ALL young people is more vital than ever before. We extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the wonderful and inspiring dance teachers, group leaders and educators who work tirelessly to provide life-enhancing experiences and outstanding training and support for the next generation.

If this weekend’s performances are anything to go by, the future of dance is in very safe hands.

The U.Dance National Festival marks a highlight in the youth dance calendar, showcasing the creativity of young people and group leaders across the country. Dance has a unique ability to bring communities together and to inspire. As U.Dance Champion I am so excited to witness the next generation of dance talent.

Anand Bhatt Artistic Director and CEO, Dance City

It’s an honour and pleasure to be one of the partners to host the U.Dance National Festival this year. Dance City is the central hub for dance in the North East and is committed to promoting and advocating the best quality of dance through classes and performances. It is an inclusive and creative environment where all people can enjoy, learn and share in a dedicated space that encourages the development of skills, collaboration, and experimentation.

We hope to inspire and share Dance City’s passion and values with the next generation of young dancers.

Kate Denby Executive Director and Joint CEO, Northern Stage Natalie Ibu Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Northern Stage

Northern Stage is thrilled to be a partner venue for this year’s U.Dance National Festival. As a producing theatre company, venue and charity that collaborates on creative projects, we understand how important it is to support life-changing experiences for people who would not normally have access to such opportunities

We are proud to help provide young dancers from across the UK the opportunity to learn from established dance professionals and perform on stage. Empowerment is at the heart of what we do, constantly evolving and collaborating with artists, practitioners and communities in the North East and beyond - Northern Stage is much more than what you see on our stages and we can’t wait to welcome you into our creative community.

Jack Redpath Head of Curriculum, Newcastle College

We are thrilled to be one of the partner venues hosting this year’s U. Dance National Festival. Here in the Performance Academy, we deliver a whole range of Music and Performing Arts courses from Level 2 through to Level 6. Our dance programmes are highly vocational with an underpinning of theatrical knowledge and industry expectation.

We recognise the importance of supporting and promoting dance in education and we see many of our students reap the benefits as they move into the world of work. The benefits of dance are far greater than just doing ‘the steps’ and as a college we fully support dance opportunities for young people which offer knowledge, experience and growth.

Martin Wilson MBE Executive Director and Co-founder, TIN Arts

Tess Chaytor MBE Artistic Director and Co-founder, TIN Arts

TIN Arts are delighted to be a partner organisation of the U.Dance National Festival 2023 and to welcome you to the North East. As a dance organisation, we have a long history of taking part in U.Dance and attended festivals in many other regions, so we’re excited to have the opportunity to welcome the next generation of dance artists to our home region and hope you enjoy your time here with us. We wish all young dancers the best of luck with their performances and hope you have lots of fun this weekend.

WORLD-CLASS DANCE TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Each centre is unique, offering different dance styles including Contemporary, Ballet, Circus, South Asian and Street Dance. Means-tested grants are available.

FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY TO JOIN NATIONALDANCECATS.CO.UK