What a fantastic weekend we had at U.Dance Festival 2023 in Newcastle. Read on for a round up of an inspiring and fun filled celebration of dance, creativity and youth dance culture!
Day 1
After arriving on Friday evening, Saturday was spent at the Northern Stage Theatre rehearsing for the big showcase later that evening. First we had to warm up!
Next we had to rehearse the Finale
sequence in the outdoor tent area!
Next up we had an inspiring careers talk from industry professionals working in dance. There were choreographers, dancers, dance physios, lecturers, dance science experts and more. All had unique stories of their journey into the profession and spoke passionately about following dreams and staying focused and curious.
At last it was time for some food and a photo challenge on the streets of Newcastle City Centre - extra points if you can get some locals involved! Scroll to see our efforts...
And then it was show time! A lot of nerves and excitement were flying around - our dancers smashed their performance and the whole show was a huge success. It was such a high standard of dance and so much diversity of style and culture on show. There was a standing ovation at the end with a wonderful audience who cheered throughout!
After an exhausting 24 hours it was time to sleep ahead of our workshop day! Katie found herself a comfy spot to grab 40 winks in the changing room!
Day 2
Sunday morning kicked off with a group warm up and we felt right at home with a giant Scottish ceilidh - over 100 dancers took part - what a hoot!
We then took part in a clogging work shop, followed by contemporary class and a choreography session with Rep from Wayne Macgregor's latest creation for the National Youth Dance Company.
Finally it was back across town to enjoy the second showcase! Here's a pic of us with the other Scottish group from Lothian Dance Company Edinburgh and we also bumped into DC alumni Marcus and Emma who performed on Sunday with the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland! They are about to go into their final year at Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds.
We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend at U.Dance! It was so special to meet other dance professionals and young people who share our passion. We would love to be back again in the future. Memories made and inspiration gained to take us into the new academic year! Thanks to all parents for supporting us and travelling down to watch and huge thanks to the organisers at One Dance UK who made it a wonderful experience all round.
