National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) returns for its seventh year with a new intake of 28 young dancers who join the 10 dancers returning from previous cohorts. The newly commissioned work choreographed by Botis Seva, premieres at DanceEast in Ipswich on 20 April. MADHEAD then tours to Plymouth, Newcastle, Essex, Brighton, Birmingham and for the first time since its inception, closes at Sadler’s Wells on 19 July.
MADHEAD draws on the robust, exuberant, impulsive energy of youth culture. Seva’s unique movement language of physical theatre and hip hop, along with the youthful energy of the NYDC dancers, drawn from across the country, illustrates the influence and creativity that emerging dance artists can bring to a professional dance collaboration.
The new line up of dancers are given the opportunity to engage with dance through working at the highest level, alongside an artistic team with exceptional standards and artistic integrity. Seva and his artistic team work with the dancers over four residencies to create, develop and rehearse the piece.
Seva’s appointment follows on from his Olivier Award-winning piece, BLKDOG, which formed part of the Sadler’s Wells’ 20th anniversary commission, Reckonings, in October 2018. In August, Seva collaborated with Billy Boyd Cape to create a short film, Reach, commissioned by Sadler’s Wells as part of Channel 4’s Random Acts series. Seva’s other credits include: InNoForm for the British Dance Edition & Laban Theatre, Woman of Sun for Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership Compass Commission and TuTuMucky for Scottish Dance Theatre. He and his collective Far From the Norm have previously performed at Sadler’s Wells with Breakin’ Convention and curated a Wild Card evening in the Lilian Baylis Studio.
NYDC has a track record of putting young people on paths to successful dance careers, with over 80% of all former NYDC dancers now either in further dance studies, in vocational training or working professionally.
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NYDC also delivers NYDC Workshops across the whole of the country for young people aged 15-19, and up to the age of 24 for deaf or disabled dancers. The workshops are used as an opportunity to be considered for a place in the 2019-20 cohort.
