Episodes 2015

Youth Dance England established U.Dance, a national framework for dance performance for young people, in 2008. As a lead into this, Dance4 has created a pathway for groups to be chosen for MY Dance, the Midlands Youth Dance Festival, which takes place in April. From there, selections are made for U.Dance in June. Groups compete to enter MY Dance via this first stage, which takes place across five county platforms – Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire – from January to March. Just one group from each county is chosen.  

Speaking with some of the young dancers before the Nottinghamshire event was a pleasure. Ryan Coggins in particular made an impression as a young man passionate about dance admitting that, before he knew much about it, he had assumed it was something only girls did. Now, he dedicates Wednesday evenings and 6 hours every Saturday to practising with the Centre for Advanced Training, based in Nottingham, and loves every minute. “It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun and I found out I’m actually quite good at it,” he said.  

That turns out to be absolutely true. He is part of two of tonight’s 14 performances – Origin Youth Dance and Nottingham CAT Satellite – and he stands out, not just because he is one of the very few boys in the whole event, but also because of his long limbs and natural talent for movement.  

All 14 groups in Episodes were so different from each other that I certainly didn’t envy those on the judging panel. The groups included dancers ranging in age and ability from 11 to 19 – or 13 to 24 in groups of mixed abilities – performing a whole range of styles from classical ballet to street dance and everything in between. At a guess, I’d say at least 80% were female.  

Pride Performance Company was first up. Through movement, music and screen projections this inclusive performance company, based in Mansfield, explored how magical movements look and sound in Music Magic. It was inspiring not only because of the range of movement, but because the music and projections were all produced live onstage. It felt almost as though the company were giving the audience a glimpse into a secret world. 

As well as Pride, the stand out for me in the first half was Gedling Ballet School. This troupe of 20 young dancers, dressed identically in mauve leotards, performed beautifully together and showed promising technical ability as well as musicality.  

From the second half, special mention must go to RUSH Youth Dance Company in Wish You Were Here and NCN Dancers from New College Nottingham in Lovely War.  

Wish You Were was pure British seaside holiday fun. Inspired by old photographs and video footage and dressed in shorts and striped swimsuits, RUSH Youth Dance Company incorporated a number of styles into their piece with aplomb. Most notable perhaps was a nod to the Charleston. The whole thing was just a joy to watch.  

In Lovely War, NCN explored the fragility of life and death during World War I, taking inspiration from Joan Littlewood’s 1963 play Oh What a Lovely War. Dancers responded to a soundtrack that changed from wartime classics to bombs and sirens. One moment they performed in romantic duets, the next they crawled through imaginary trenches. The standard of dance and ability to convey such emotive content was so striking, I felt this was company with more than a handful of dancers bordering on professional standard. 

Competition aside, it was brilliant to see so many passionate young people getting a kick out of performing onstage. Some were clearly talented enough to pursue a career in dance should they choose to, but right now it doesn’t really matter. The point is, just getting involved in dance opens doors to so many new opportunities. It improves self-confidence, brings new friends and gives a meaning to all those hours outside school where otherwise boredom takes over. However, I can’t stress enough: IT’S NOT JUST FOR GIRLS! 

Episodes took place at Nottingham Playhouse on Sunday 25 January 2015.