The Youth Dance Leaders Programme has already established itself as a successful and unique professional development programme for dance artists working in the youth dance field. This programme was developed by Cath James, Yorke Dance Project’s producer, who has long been committed to creating and supporting opportunities for dance artists to develop.

Piloted in 2009 with support from Lyvie De Haan, Simon Harvey, Lawrence Dellaglio and Youth Dance England South West, 6 youth leaders took part in our creative development programme during company rehearsals in the summer. As youth dance leaders often work in isolation, away from clusters of other arts professionals, especially in the rural South West, Yorke Dance Project sought to support and overcome that isolation by inviting 6 youth dance leaders into company rehearsals for 2 weeks to develop their own creativity and widen their range of experiences. This gives the youth leaders the skills and professional contact to develop their own arts practice that they can then draw on to work with their own young dancers throughout the rest of the year.

Carrie Syckelmoore –Salisbury Youth Dance Company (2009 Programme):

I felt part of the group and enveloped by the creative process during the whole two weeks. Taking company class every morning gave me an opportunity to develop my own skills and technique, and dance with renowned professional dancers. I found Yolande Yorke-Edgell’s research, development and creative process for Strandgade 30 enlightening. It has given me the affirmation and confidence to guide my youth company through choreographing a performance for a curtain raiser when Yorke Dance Project performs in Salisbury.

This opportunity for each of the youth dance group leaders to work in the studio with professional dancers and choreographers enriches and supports their own creativity and ability to guide younger dancers through creative tasks, raising the level of not just the work, but the critical processes that go into creating a piece of work. The leaders also make vital contact with other artists working within the same area of arts practice and youth dance, creating a supportive network of youth dance leaders throughout the country.

Yorke Dance Project is creating a new programme of contemporary dance for tour in Autumn 2010 – AMERICANA, and part of the AMERICANA programme are two new commissions: one of which is from company director Yolande Yorke-Edgell. The work will be group-devised by the company with Yorke-Edgell setting the tasks and guiding the development of the work.

The company propose to work with 5 youth dance leaders, and their youth dance companies, allowing them to interpret the ideas and inspirations used by Yorke-Edgell  in the creation of the new work. This will be facilitated by Yorke Dance Project. The leaders are supported by their regional dance agencies. Our partners for 2010 are:

Wiltshire Dancing, Carrie Syckelmoore, Salisbury Youth Dance Company
Take Art, Somerset, Katey Leader, Somerset Youth Dance Company
Activate, Dorset, Rachel McDowell, Fuse Youth Dance Company
Swindon Dance, Swerve Dance Company, Swindon TBC
Activate Dorset Demelza Green, Forest Forge Youth Dance Company

The Specifics: The youth dance leaders are invited into rehearsals for 2 weeks with the choreographer and company. This is focused time for the youth leaders to develop their dance techniques, broaden their range of dance experience and meet and get to know other youth dance leaders who are working in the same youth dance arena. By joining the company during the creative period, the participants get first hand experience of the creative tasks that they will use with their own youth groups. Each group then develops their own creative responses to these tasks. The participants get feedback from our company artists, with questions about their creative choices, developing the participants’ own critical abilities to apply to their work, and supporting the youth leaders to develop their own mentoring abilities. Once the groups have finished their work, our dancers will work with them in their studio assisting them to refine their work before they perform it as the curtain raiser to the company’s performances during the Autumn tour.
Finally, the leaders come together in one venue to take master classes with the company, but more importantly, to meet and reconnect with each other and the way it worked. They will have the chance to talk about their experiences in an open facilitated discussion with the company after the event. This will take place at the Arc Theatre Trowbridge on the 4th November. Our thanks to Wiltshire Dancing and the Arc Theatre for supporting this.

Louise Barratt – Frome and Arc Youth Dance Companies (2009 Programme):

‘To take this inspiration back to our youth dance groups, translating it into something that in turn speaks to them of this exciting process, creates a brilliant daisy chain of dancing experience.”

This model brings diverse communities from all over the UK together, sharing a common experience but each group personalising that experience for themselves. The opportunity to work with a world-class company exposing them to engaging contemporary dance may help to engender enthusiasm not just for creatively doing but for critically viewing. The opportunity for each of the youth dance group leaders to work in the studio with professional dancers and Yorke-Edgell will enrich and support their own creativity and ability to guide younger dancers through creative tasks, raising the level of not just the work, but the critical processes that go into creating a piece of work.

The programme will be carefully monitored and feedback from all the stakeholders will be collated to identify and seek to understand the successes and failures of the programme from both the providers and the participants, from its inception to its delivery.

If your youth dance group would like to be a part of this project in the future, please contact Cath James our Creative Producer. There is an evaluation report from the pilot programme which is available as a PDF. Please contact the producer who can email the report to you.

Yorke Dance Project would like to thank Lyvie De Haan, Lawrence Dellaglio, Simon Harvey, Take Art-Somerset, Wiltshire Dancing, Activate-Dorset, and Swindon Dance. Without your support this creative development programme for the youth leaders would not go ahead.

We are still looking for financial support for this programme, so if you would like to donate towards this project, please do contact us, or go straight to the contacts page where you will find ways to donate. We are registered for Gift Aid, so any money you donate, will be automatically increased and worth much more!