National Youth Dance Company Will Perform New Work By Boy Blue in NYDC 2025 Tour

National Youth Dance Company will perform at the Berliner Festspiele Theatre as part of Tanztreffen der Jugend in Berlin in September 2025. This will be the first time that NYDC has performed internationally and rounds off the 2025 tour of this year's Guest Artistic Director Boy Blue's new work for the company.

The Tanztreffen der Jugend aims to be a showcase and source of inspiration for the work of young dancers and choreographers. Founded in 2014 by the Berliner Festspiele, the national contest is the only format of its kind in Germany dedicated to young contemporary and urban dance in a stage context and aims to highlight and enhance them as independent art forms within cultural education.

NYDC has selected the intake for its 2024/25 cohort. With 33 dancers aged between 16 and 24 years old and hailing from 22 towns, cities and villages across England, from Newcastle to Falmouth, it's a truly nationwide company. These young dancers have been working with Boy Blue on a new work, which will kick off the national tour with the premiere at Leeds Playhouse on Friday 18 April, before touring the country to Falmouth, Blackpool, Ipswich and London during the summer ending the tour in Berlin in September.

In July, Sadler's Wells is to present the first edition YFX Youth Festival, a new annual festival which celebrates and showcases the exceptional range of youth work across the United Kingdom. NYDC's performances in London will be part of the festival, with the London premiere of Boy Blue's piece for the company at Sadler's Wells Theatre on Saturday 19 July. On Friday 25 July NYDC will also be performing the work at the U.Dance National Festival which Sadler's Wells East will be hosting this year as part of YFX.

The 33 dancers of National Youth Dance Company's new cohort for 2024/25 are: Yunus Ayhan (Bexhill-on-Sea), Sara Belal (Leeds), Kingsley Campbell-Golding (London), Orson Crane (Blackpool), Luke Curran (Lewes), Dylan Dennis (Blackpool), Dexter Duffy (Chorley), Mimi Etete-Edge (Brighton), Sheldon Golding (Enfield), Kasra Hastings (Lewes), Florence Hodgson (London), India Hurley (Brighton), Lucca Masters (Birmingham), Zak Michael Smith (Brighton), Thea Petrie (London), Blake Rainey (Blackpool), Dayang Safiya Isabella Abang Suhaili (London), Sonia Sansford (Colchester), Iona Statham (Falmouth), Nya Stewart (Manchester), Ada Trotman (Truro), Faye-Elise Walmsey (Newcastle), Hali Warsame (London), Ella Watson (Mirfield), Marshall Wilson (Macclesfield), James Airey (Chesterfield), Archie Bilsland (Ashford), Monét Brooks (London), Megan Chaytor Wilson (Durham), Francis Henry (Leeds), Luke James (Birmingham), Jacob Lincoln (Ipswich), and Rowan Williams (Frome).

Covering all regions across the country, 15 workshops took place between April and July 2024 to select the new members for the 2024/25 intake. All dancers are aged 16-24 and have a range of different dance backgrounds.

During the dancers' time with NYDC, they are offered a unique insight into the dance profession, living and working closely together as a company, alongside NYDC staff and the artistic team. The year-long experience within the company provides members with the necessary skills and techniques to pursue career opportunities and raise aspirations, self-esteem and confidence. The dancers are mentored during four intensive residencies in school holidays to create and rehearse a new piece by the company's Guest Artistic Director. The 2024/25 residencies will take place in Ipswich, Birmingham, London, Wakefield, and Leeds.

This year the company are working with Olivier Award-winning hip hop dance theatre company Boy Blue which was founded in East London in 2001 by Michael ‘Mikey J' Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O' Sandy. Boy Blue is a radical force that has defined the potential and power of hip hop dance theatre across the UK.

Kenrick ‘H2O' Sandy Co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue said, "With NYDC it's going good so far, it's productive, the dancers are taking in the information, they are understanding what it is that we are trying to create with them. I'm excited to see how they take on the tour, regarding artistry and professionalism, and how they are able to sustain the actual piece that we are going to create with them. I think it's a great opportunity for them to go to Berlin, I think anytime any young artist is able to come out of the UK and showcase their work, I think it's a beautiful and humbling opportunity so I'm very proud that NYDC are able to go."

Head of National Youth Dance Company, Hannah Kirkpatrick said, “This is a really exciting year for the company. It is brilliant to watch the dancers in the studio with the Boy Blue team, the work is really challenging but the artists have a huge amount of experience in working with young people and it's great to see the magic happening over each residency. On top of a nationwide tour, including performances alongside the National Youth Dance Companies of Scotland and Wales as part of the U.Dance 2025 Festival, we are so excited to embark on our first ever international tour date.

 

Our performance in Berlin will be a brilliant opportunity for our dancers and a great way to highlight the importance of dance in England, each of our dancers represents their region and the wonderful programmes and training they have been able to access. We hope we will do you all proud!”

Nick McDowell, Arts Council Of England's Director of International said, “Arts Council England is proud to support the first international performance by the English National Youth Dance Company in September 2025.  Based at Sadler's Wells, the company exemplifies the best of young people's dance, attracting talent from all over the country. They will perform in the iconic Berliner Festspiele Theatre as part of Tanztreffen der Jugend. Their visit follows performances by the German National Youth Orchestra across the UK in January 2025 augmenting cultural links between the UK and Germany ahead of the Germany-UK Treaty.”

In a new film available on Sadler's Wells Digital Stage from today, filmmaker Ben Williams captures NYDC as they embarked on their 2024 tour of England last summer. Documenting the 32 dancers aged 16-24, the film follows the company from theatres to festivals and car parks, as they performed new work Wall by 2024-25 Guest Artistic Director Oona Doherty. This is an account of the commitment and community that is at the heart of NYDC.

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