News

 

U.Dance Digital 2020 will be a weekend of streamed dance masterclasses, showcases, careers talks and information sessions for young people, engaging the best dancers and dance leaders in the country to share their skills, all for free.

We are excited to announce that this summer One Dance UK is moving our celebrated U.Dance National Festival to an online format –  all for FREE!

Held from 17-19 July 2020, aspiring dancers can expect professional dance masterclasses in a wide range of styles featuring artists from the UK’s leading dance companies, choreography challenges, industry and career information sessions packed with practical advice and tips from leaders in their field, dance showcases and much more. This exciting celebration of youth dance is aimed at dancers aged 11-19 years – up to 25 if the participant has a disability – and their teachers and group leaders.

Ballet star Carlos Acosta, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and Patron of Children and Young People’s Dance at One Dance UK, is pleased to hear the news and encourages young people to get involved, saying:

“I have always been an advocate of increasing dance opportunities for young people. U.Dance Digital 2020 is a chance for aspiring dancers from across the country to take part in a national event, learn from the best and get inspired about the amazing careers in dance that await them.”

As the dance industry faces the challenges presented by social distancing and the current lockdown, One Dance UK is continuing its commitment to providing accessible, diverse, high quality dance opportunities for young people from all backgrounds. The U.Dance programme of events is a nationwide initiative that allows thousands of participants across the UK to take part in a celebration of dance by performing at a regional platform in their area. The annual U.Dance programme – under ordinary circumstances – then culminates in the U.Dance National Festival, where up to 800 young people come together to take part in a weekend of performances, workshops and information sessions hosted in a different city each year.

Andrew Hurst is also positive about the move saying:

“The U.Dance programme of events, with its thousands of young participants at platforms nationwide, is a huge part of the youth dance network in this country, and has at its heart the aim to be inclusive, accessible and to celebrate achievement and aspiration. It is therefore very exciting that One Dance UK is able to present U.Dance Digital 2020. This event will continue in the tradition of previous U.Dance regional events and national festivals, all the while being more inclusive and accessible than ever before, bringing high quality dance workshops and sector knowledge direct to young people all over the country. Whilst we are in a very trying period for the arts, it is important to remember that we will rebuild and grow again, and this celebration of dance will inspire and inform our next generation of dancers, dance makers and dance leaders.”

 

For more information click here or email [email protected]