Hofesh Shechter selects dancers for the first UK youth dance company

 Internationally-acclaimed choreographer Hofesh Shechter who is the artistic director of the company, was in charge of selecting the dancers at a national audition which took place Sunday 4th December 2011 at the Royal Opera House. The final company comprises 8 dancers from England, 2 from Northern Ireland, 5 from Scotland and 4 from Wales, with all dancers aged between 16 and 21.

19 dancers from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been selected to form the first UK-wide youth dance company, the U.Dance Ensemble. Including Ben Whisken from North Devon who is also part of Devon Youth Dance Company and Cameron Finnemore from Newton Abbott.

Cameron Finnemore

I am from Devon in the South West of England. I am 17 years old and have been dancing since I was 10 in my primary school club. Since I have been in secondary school I have mainly danced Contemporary, and over the years I have increased it to include ballet and Morris dancing. My ambitions in dance are to go to a dance school and from there to dance professionally within dance companies. To become part of the U.Dance Ensemble would be a great step forward for me and would give me a lot of experience that I can use later on in life. I look forward to the residentials and the final performance, as well as the chance to work with new people and Hofesh Shechter as Artistic Director.

Ben Wisken

I live in North Devon and am currently studying my A levels in music technology and dance at Petroc College. I am 18 years old and started Contemporary dance around 12 years old. Before then I did a lot of site-specific work with Sarah Shorted at Stacked Wonky Dance and also did some circus work for Carol Turner since the age of nine. I now dance in Devon Youth Dance Company where I have been with for the past five years. It means a lot to me to be part of something so culturally spread and to be with people who share the same passion. Hofesh was one of my biggest inspirations when I was younger, so it’s pretty awe-inspiring to be a part of the U.Dance Ensemble.

The Ensemble will meet during three main residential rehearsal periods between January and July 2012. During these residencies the U.Dance Ensemble will be led by Hofesh in the creation of a new dance piece of between 12 and 20 minutes in duration. The piece will form a key highlight of Youth Dance England’s U.Dance 2012 festival and will be performed at the event at Southbank Centre in London, as part of a varied programme of exceptional youth dance work from across the UK.

The U.Dance Ensemble is a joint initiative, managed by Youth Dance England in partnership with YDance (Scottish Youth Dance), National Youth Dance Wales, DU Dance (based in Northern Ireland) and Southbank Centre.

Following the premiere on 13th July in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Ensemble will also perform their piece on Sunday 15th July in the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Subsequent tour dates are being planned in August for performances in Scotland and Wales.

Hofesh Shechter said about the project: “It's great that the project is now underway, it was a fascinating experience to see young dancers from throughout the UK during the audition process. I'm looking forward to getting into the studio for the intense creation period, teaching them as much as I can and in turn I'm sure I will be learning from their vibrant energy and humour, of which I've already had a taste over the last months.”

Linda Jasper MBE, Director of Youth Dance England, said: “We are so thrilled to see this  project come to light, and to have been able to bring together such fantastic partners as YDance, National Youth Dance Wales, DU Dance, Southbank Centre and of course Hofesh Shechter to deliver it. Seeing the Ensemble formed and having met the extremely talented dancers that will take part, brings me great excitement and satisfaction and I very much look forward to seeing all those involved working together to create the first piece danced by these young performers from all UK countries.”