Yorkshire Dance is looking for talented young dancers to take part in FRESH, its annual showcase of the region’s best youth dance in Doncaster next April.
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 at CAST in Doncaster during the event.
Every style of dance is equally welcome – from streetdance to Kathak – and Yorkshire Dance is particularly keen to hear from inclusive groups of dancers, including young people with and without disabilities.
All the details of how to apply can be found at Yorkshire Dance’s website.
Since 2010, FRESH has taken over some of the region’s biggest theatres – including West Yorkshire Playhouse, York Theatre Royal and, for the first time in 2016, CAST in Doncaster – with over 200 young dancers representing 20 or more youth dance companies.
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.
Sarah Lyon, Youth and Community Dance Manager at Yorkshire Dance, says, “FRESH is really one of the highlights of our annual calendar. It’s such a privilege to see the range and quality of dance being created by young people in our region, and to be able to give it this high-profile platform every year. I can’t wait for the applications to start coming in.
“FRESH is designed to give young dancers a real taste of what it might be to be a professional dance artist, and we look forward to seeing how the 2019 performers progress over the next few years.”
Asked about the experience of bringing her youth dance company to FRESH in Leeds last year, one group leader said, “What a fabulous experience for them… especially seeing all different age, race, gender, abilities dancing… it was truly FAB!”
One young male dancer said, “Seeing others helped to encourage and inspire me, the dancers in the other companies – especially other males – helped to inspire me that a career and work in dance is possible and realistic.”
FRESH is part of U.Dance, a national celebration of performance by young people which takes place in a different UK city each year. An independent panel of dance experts will choose two groups from FRESH to represent Yorkshire at U.Dance 2019 in London in July.
Yorkshire Dance
Yorkshire Dance is a charity which champions the value of dance and its development in Yorkshire. It creates opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to see, make and take part in high quality dance.
Each year the U.Dance National Festival showcases a selection of the best youth dance groups from all over the country. The dancers also take part in workshops and masterclasses with industry professionals, inspire each other with their love of dance and develop their understanding of the dance sector. 2019’s U.Dance National Festival is its first return to London since 2012, with two performances in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, plus other performance and workshop opportunities across the weekend.
