Entering its eighth year, National Youth Dance Company, run by Sadler’s Wells, has announced its next two Guest Artistic Directors to be Russell Maliphant for 2019/20 and Alesandra Seutin for 2020/21. Current Guest Artistic Director Botis Seva's piece created for NYDC, MADHEAD, premièred at DanceEast in Ipswich on 20 April and will tour England this summer, closing at Sadler’s Wells on 19 July.
Maliphant established his own dance company in 1996 and his work has also been performed by renowned dance artists including Sylvie Guillem, BalletBoyz, Munich Ballet and English National Ballet, for whom his piece Second Breath was part of the critically celebrated programme Lest We Forget. He became an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells in 2005. Two graduates of NYDC, Edd Arnold and Folu Odimayo, make up part of the Russell Maliphant Dance Company and can be seen performing in Silent Lines at Sadler’s Wells, on 18 & 19 October.
Seutin grew up in Brussels and is a worldwide ambassador of the Acogny technique and also a movement director, dramaturge, teacher and performer, performing for several noted artists including, Johnathan Burrows, Tanusree Shankar, Germaine Acogny and Rafael Bonachela. She founded Vocab Dance in 2007 and presented Boy Breaking Glass as part of the Sadler’s Wells 20th anniversary commission, Reckonings, in October 2018. Her work created for the Sadler’s Wells over-60s performance company, Company of Elders, premières as part of Elixir Festival on 14 June at the Lilian Baylis Studio.
Maliphant said, "NYDC provides great opportunities for young dancers to develop in to world class performers—I have seen this in action over the years and have personally worked with some of that talent in my own company. I’m looking forward to starting this season with another new generation of dancers here in the UK.”
Seutin added, “I look forward to breaking boundaries with the dancers of the future, and having the opportunity to be part of this beautiful process is amazing. With the support of Sadler’s Wells, I hope to continue growing as a leader and a maker collaborating with NYDC to keep its reputation for innovative, challenging and influential work, producing open-minded and curious dancers.”
NYDC has begun its search for the next intake of 30 young dancers to join the company and work with Maliphant on the new commission in autumn 2019, holding workshops at The House, University of Plymouth on 23 June, Newcastle Dance City on 30 June, Williton Pavillion on 7 July and Yeovil College on 8 July.