NYDC announces new cohort of dancers

Published: 12 November 2019
Reporter: Vera Liber

Russell Maliphant Credit: Panayiotis Sinnos

National Youth Dance Company, run by Sadler’s Wells, has selected its eighth intake of dancers sourced from across England who will join Guest Artistic Director and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Russell Maliphant to work on a new piece specially created for NYDC, which will première at DanceEast on 18 April 2020.

Workshops took place around the country from May to July to select the 30 new members for the 2019-20 intake, consisting of 15 female and 15 male dancers aged 15–24, who will join ten dancers returning from last year. Maliphant takes over from last year’s Guest Artistic Director Botis Seva, whose commission for NYDC, MADHEAD, was presented in Ipswich, Plymouth, Newcastle, Essex, Brighton, Birmingham and London.

Two graduates of NYDC, Edd Arnold and Folu Odimayo, make up part of the Russell Maliphant Dance Company and were seen performing in Silent Lines at Sadler’s Wells in October.

During the dancers’ time with NYDC, they are offered an insight into the dance profession, living and working closely together as a company, alongside NYDC staff and the artistic team. They are mentored during four intensive residencies in school holidays to create and rehearse the new piece and the final residency takes place in Ipswich and London, between 4 and 19 April, ahead of the opening night at DanceEast.

The 30 new dancers for 2019-20 are: Aaliyah Francis, London; Amelia Clarke, London; Cameron Cook, Cheshire; Charlotte Hoyle, Nottingham; Chiara Moore, Warrington; Dylan Jones, Wiltshire; Elisabeth Mulenga, Birmingham; Eve Shorten, Oxfordshire; Haydn Hull, East Ardsley; Jack Ward, Newcastle; Jacob Philips, Bristol; Joshua Pilgrim, Somerset; Kenan Smith, Worsbrough Dale; Lauryn Bryan, London; Leo Udvarlaky, Kent; Lewis Logie, Carlisle; Mareih Belocura, Worthing; Meghan Warburton, Kidlington; Mia Grote, Totnes; Mirabelle Haddon, London; Philippa Brewis, Suffolk; Renette Wesley, London; Sonny Connor-Bell, Birmingham; Sonny Cwynarski, London; Spike King, Twickenham; Steffi Fashokun, Truro; Tom Sutton, Middlesbrough; Wil Trash, Barnsley; Willow Fenner, London; Zac Crowe, Preston.

The new intake joins the ten returning dancers: Ethan Hurip, Brighton; Faye McLoughlin, Bristol; Hannah Joseph, London; Harvey Burke-Hamilton, Surrey; Karim Dime, London; Maia Faulker, Brighton; Mark Halton, Ambleside; Mathilde Anderson Mellor, Brighton; Millie Smith-Hashim, Brighton; Sekou Diaby, London.

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