U.Dance the national youth dance festival presented by One Dance UK, in partnership with the ISTD, returns to London’s Southbank Centre this summer with a line-up of youth dance groups from across the United Kingdom.
Each year the U.Dance national youth dance festival showcases a selection of the best dance groups from all over the country in a range of performances and gives the opportunity for hundreds of young people to take part in workshops and masterclasses with dance industry professionals, inspire each other with a love of dance and develop their understanding within the dance sector.
This year,U.Dance partners with leading arts venue Southbank Centre, Europe’s largest centre for the arts. The festival takes place across various venues including Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and The Clore Ballroom, and other leading venues in the area including National Theatre, Rambert and BFI Southbank. The weekend-long eventwill present an exciting opportunity for youth dance groups to performon-stage, hone their skills in professional dance workshops, and meet and work with other young dancers from across the country.
Andrew Hurst, Chief Executive of One Dance UK says:
“The U.Dance national youth dance festival is an important event on the dance calendar and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the ISTD to deliver this year’s event. From the regional platforms to the festival itself, U.Dance engages with more than 2,000 young dancers, encouraging them in the pursuit of excellence in dance and embarking on careers in dance, highlighting one of One Dance UK’s key aspirations – to raise the profile of dance teaching and practice in all its diverse forms.”
Rupert Thomson, Senior Dance & Performance Programmer says:
“We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming One Dance UK, colleagues and participants from across the UK to Southbank Centre this summer. The U.Dance events offer the opportunity for young dancers to celebrate their achievements together through a festival full of passion, energy and ambition. We look forward to welcoming everyone and ensuring that their time spent in London is truly memorable.”
The groups selected include:
East Colchester Sixth Form
London 1 iDance Studios
London 2 Sujata Banerjee Dance Company
North East TIN Arts
North West Dance Syndrome
West Midlands Our Lady & St Chad Catholic Academy
East Midlands Next Door Youth Dance Company
Yorkshire Street Beat Elite
South West Hampshire Youth Dance Company
South East Ceyda Tanc Dance Company
ISTD 1 Live Love Dance
ISTD 2 Del Toro School of Dance
ISTD 3 Mayhew School of Dance
ISTD 4 Highgate Ballet School Choreographers Collective
ISTD 5 Drishti Dance
ISTD 6 Srishti Yuva Culture
Scotland 1 LeeAnne Dobbie Dancers
Scotland 2 Fusion
YDance NYDC Scotland
London CAT Trinity Laban
London CAT The Place
For further information and to book tickets to the performances, visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk