Rhythmosaic host Project Youth at Yorkshire Dance in July

Project Youth will take place at Yorkshire Dance on Saturday 12th July 2025 from 12 pm - 3 pm. The day will feature a performance from the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland (Y Dance) and live-streamed performances from dancers from Rhythmosaic's school in India, followed by a post-performance talk, involving the audience and panellists, to discuss the expectations of parents from institutions in the nurturing, guiding and facilitating young dancers in considering their futures in the professional dance sector.

The Panellists:

• Mark Hollander - Executive producer Rhythmosaic, former CEO Phoenix Dance Theatre, Freelance Arts Consultant and currently chair of Yorkshire Dance
• Hannah Robertshaw - Creative Director, Yorkshire Dance
• Anna Kenrick - Artistic Director of YDance
• Fay Beesley - Education and Outreach Officer for Kala Sangam (Bradford Arts Centre)
• Mitul Sengupta (Artistic Director Rhythmosaic).

Supporting youth dance

Rhythmosaic has a long lineage of supporting talented young people in its home country, India, nurturing youth dancers hailing from various styles into the Rhythmosaic idiom of Contemporary Kathak. Rhythmosaic then identifies talented individuals and incorporates them into the company training.

For example, Prasanna Saika and Prasun Banerjee both trained in the Rhythmosaic youth team in India and then entered the company and danced with Phoenix Dance Theatre UK and other international companies during their tenure with Rhythmosaic.

Presently Rhythmosaic is nurturing young dancers in schools in India and has a youth dance training wing/academy in the UK.  

Rhythmosaic’s present repertory in India also has an amalgamation of youth and professional dancers who are trained professionally by the leaders of Rhytmosaic and other professionals around the world.

Working with YDance

The significance of Y Dance (Glasgow) featuring in Project Youth is that Rhythmosaic has developed a sustained creative association with Y DANCE since 2015. Rhythmosaic hosted Y DANCE during their visit to Kolkata supported by the British Council. Since then Rhythmosaic and Y dance have had artistic encounters on various occasions.

For example, Rhythmosaic conducted an Online workshop for Y DANCE during COVID-19 in 2021. Currently, Rhythmosaic and Y DANCE are maintaining a long-term relationship which will culminate through their visit to Leeds for Project Youth on the 12^th of July 2025 and Rhythmosaic reciprocal visit as choreographers for Project Y EVOLUTION at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Aug 2025.

Project Youth and its purpose

Project Youth by Rhythmosaic with the support of Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Beckett University and Kala Sangam will feature a blend of South Asian Youth Dance (Rhythmosaic Academy, UK live students, and Screen Dance from Rhythmosaic Youth wing in India) and contemporary youth Dance by the Y Dance Scotland.

Project Youth is of particular value in identifying the impact of Youth performances in HE and professional dance settings. Generally, Youth Dance festivals/projects/performances in Yorkshire are geared towards Contemporary dance performances such as the Yorkshire Youth Dance Festival FRESH.

Global reach and Inclusivity

This is our first experimental project where a diversity of styles are coming under one roof allowing young artists to see, experience and interact with other artists from different styles.

Interculturality is the hallmark of Rhythmosaic's creative endeavours. Through Project Youth, Rhythmosaic explores intercultural youth dance discourse, accommodating Yorkshire, Scotland, and India to map the impact of such exploration on the development of intercultural youth dance practice and its presence in Yorkshire. Also, what roles/stakes do institutions such as Yorkshire Dance, Rhythmosaic and HE settings like Leeds Beckett University, and NSCD identify in these sorts of projects?

About Rhythmosaic

Rhythmosaic is an international dance organisation centred both in India and the UK. 

For 17 years under the artistic leadership of dancer/choreographer Dr Mitul Sengupta and choreographer Shambik Ghose, Rhythmosaic has been promoting and producing innovative artistic dance/performance works both individually and in collaboration with world-renowned traditional and contemporary creative organisations across the globe. 

The difference that Rhythmosaic brings is that it projects tradition and contemporariness through the lens of both concepts in constant dialogue. Rhythmosaic’s creative presentations encompass contrasting cultural influences and sensibilities that encourage the expanded artistic possibilities afforded by intercultural collaboration, form innovation, and practice inclusivity.