Youth Dance News

In this month’s Dancescape youth dance e-news…….

Free choreolab at DanceXchange
Dance Links Application Information
National Youth Dance Conference 2010
Workshop Opportunities with Rosie Kay Dance Company

**********************************************************************************

Free choreography sessions for young people

DanceXchange in partnership with Youth Dance England (YDE) are running FREE choreolab sessions for young dance artists aged 15– 19 (up to 24 years if disabled).

Ideal for young people looking to develop their choreography skills, especially those studying for GCSE, A Level or BTEC in Dance, the three sessions are being led by experienced choreographer and Contemporary Dance teacher Clare Palethorpe.

26 March 5pm - 9pm
27 March 10am - 6pm
28 March 10am - 6pm

DanceXchange studios, Birmingham

All participants will also have an opportunity to apply for YDE Young Creatives 2011, a national initiative that focuses on developing the skills of young choreographers through mentoring, residential workshops and seminars and performance opportunities.

For further information and to register please contact Toby Norman-Wright at toby.norman-wright@dancexchange.org.uk by Friday 19 March

***********************************************************************************

Dance Links – Applications Open

Applications are now open for Dance Links 2010, a fantastic programme which aims to increase the amount of dance activity on offer to children and young people.
The programme gives participants working in any dance style the chance to develop their skills and experience in delivering dance in schools, both within and beyond the curriculum. Dance Links is designed for Dance Artists, Practitioners and out-of-school Dance providers who all wish to develop their skills in dance.

Is Dance Links for you? There are Dance Links Activity Plan funds from YDE tied to projects that are due to be developed with West Midlands School Sports Partnerships and one key criteria is that the School Sports Partnerships must identify a Dance Links trained artist to deliver the project – so this training could directly lead to work opportunities and is therefore worth considering!

Details: A two day residential programme to help you develop your skills in delivering dance
Cost: £75.00 including all meals and accommodation
Dates and Venue: 3rd and 4th September 2010, Birmingham
10th and 11th September 2010, Manchester and Winchester

The programme will cover:
Principles of best practise in dance both in and out of schools
High quality learning and teaching
Identification of your strengths and professional development needs
Contexts, practicalities and essentials of working in and out of schools
Management of resources, time and behaviour

Dance Links is managed by Youth Dance England, which has commissioned the National Dance Teachers Association to bring you this series of exceptional two-day residential training events.

Spaces are limited so please apply now to avoid disappointment. Application deadline is 30th April 2010.

To apply please email dancelinks@ndta.org.uk with your name, address and phone number, or phone 01543 308618, and the NDTA will send you full details of the training and an application form.

************************************************************************************

National Youth Dance Conference 2010
‘A Shared Vision for the Future’

When: 23-24 September 2010
Where: The Mermaid Conference & Events Centre, London

This Conference marks a very exciting time for Youth Dance England, and its partners, as YDE launches the first National Strategy for Children and Young People’s Dance 2010-2020. The Conference offers you a platform to share and discuss the strategy and its delivery in aiming to deliver a world class dance experience for all children and young people.

With special guests:
Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England
Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair, Youth Sport Trust
Julie Dyson AM, National Director, Australian Dance Council – Ausdance
Lord Tony Hall, Chief Executive, Royal Opera House
Wayne McGregor, Artistic Director, Wayne McGregorRandom Dance, and Youth Dance Champion
Richard Alston Dance Company

The Conference programme has been created in association with our National Youth Dance Network and key partners that promote dance in and out of school settings, and features presentations, debates, seminars, information exchanges and dance performances.

The main theme that the conference will be focusing on is putting strategy into practice through; improving cross sector working, implementing workforce development, ensuring conditions are in place for inclusive engagement, stimulating wider participation through dance in schools and wider community, creating progression routes and ensuring maximum value is made from investment through joining up programmes and networks.

YDE are delighted to welcome special guests from the dance, arts, education, school sports and health sectors, alongside government and Arts Council England representatives speaking about the huge and far-reaching impact of dance on the lives of children and young people.

To find out more, and register, please visit http://www.yde.org.uk/main.cfm?type=CONF

***********************************************************************************

Education Opportunities with Rosie Kay Dance Company and ‘5 SOLDIERS’

Rosie Kay Dance Company’s new production will premiere at International Dance Festival Birmingham with performances at the Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome on Friday 23 April followed by a national tour, which includes performances at Warwick Arts Centre on 27 & 28 April.

“It is young soldiers and their bodies that are the ultimate weapon in war – their strength and weaknesses may win or lose a battle, their ability to harm or injure others is key to victory. While war is surrounded with weaponry, uniforms, history and ceremony, the real business is human, dirty, messy, painful and happening right now.” Rosie Kay

5 SOLDIERS – The Body is the Frontline, shows that despite religious and cultural differences, technological advances and historical progressions we still use the threat of violence to settle modern problems. It is still the body that is used as both the weapon and the target in today’s modern warfare. The frontline today is the body - the bodies of soldiers, the bodies of the enemy, the bodies of innocent casualties. War is a physical action that affects our bodies. 5 SOLDIERS- The Body is the Frontline shows that war is human. 5 SOLDIERS is a timely, controversial, thought-provoking and moving exploration of war in modern times. It features Rosie Kay’s trademark intense physicality and athleticism and weaves a story of physical transformation, helping us to understand how soldiers are made and how war affects them.

As part of the performances of 5 SOLDIERS at International Dance Festival Birmingham and at Warwick Arts Centre, there are a whole host of education opportunities to take part in.

At International Dance Festival Birmingham 2010 there are several dates available when Rosie Kay is able to deliver half day workshops throughout the West Midlands linked to participants attending the première on Friday 23 April at 8pm. Her work and current show is ideal for young people committed to dance and will be a challenging and physical experience.

For more information about Education opportunities with International Dance Festival Birmingham please email Charlotte Brennan at charlotte@sparkarts.co.uk

Connected to the 5 SOLDIERS performances at Warwick Arts Centre, there are the following learning opportunities:

Contemporary Dance workshop
Led by Rosie Kay
Age: 12+
Tue 27 & Wed 28 Apr
Morning (access to warm room with suitable floor necessary)
£100 (cost subsidised by Warwick Arts Centre Education Department for schools/colleges with tickets for the show)

These practical, in-school dance workshops will explore issues, themes and the processes around the making and staging of 5 SOLDIERS. It looks at the intense physical nature of war and the human impact on the soldiers. The workshop also explores how visual imagery, the media and literature all play a part on how we understand combat.

Rosie Kay has extensive experience as a dance educator having taught at all levels from young children to professional. Her workshops are designed to inspire and offer a heightened glimpse in to the creative process. Rosie Kay is also the course leader for the Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) in the West Midlands.

To book a workshop please contact Carly Mee, Education Officer, on 024 7657 4786 or c.mee@warwick.ac.uk

***********************************************************************************