From over 200 young dancers, thirty have been chosen through workshops and auditions to be the first company of England’s new National Youth Dance Company (NYDC).
The company will meet at London's Sadler’s Wells and other venues four times a year during school holidays and will work with teachers and choreographers across a range of techniques including contemporary, hip hop, ballet and South Asian dance.
Sadler’s Wells associate artist Jasmin Vardimon is the NYDC’s first guest artistic director and the company's debut performance will take place at Sadler’s Wells on 8 June.
Sadler’s Wells chief executive and artistic director Alistair Spalding said, “I am excited that NYDC has found its first members.
"The decision to fund a National Youth Dance Company is an important step in putting dance on an equal footing with other art forms in education terms, and in supporting future generations of performers, particularly at a time when there are such serious concerns about diminishing opportunities for young people to engage with cultural education.”
National Youth Dance Company is funded jointly by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, from the National Lottery and Grant in Aid funds.