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U.Dance 2021 -open for applications

8th February 2021

U. DANCE 2021 applications OPEN NOW for the national youth dance festival which will take place online 16-18 July 2021.

U.Dance is the national programme of events offering high quality dance opportunities to young people. Each year, our nation’s young dancers can experience the thrill of creating, learning and performing dance. 

DU Dance (NI) as a regional partner organisation are inviting applications from across the island of Ireland with a submission deadline of 31st March 2021. Film a creative dance piece observing the current restrictions, or send in a recording of a piece created in the last 12 months.

How do I apply?

To be eligible for a place at U.Dance 2021 groups will need to: 

  • Include dancers aged 11 to 19 years on 31 July 2021 (disabled dancers aged up to and including 25 can apply) 
  • Work within Covid-19 guidance that is appropriate for your setting
  • Be based in the UK/ Ireland and involve dancers who live in the UK / Ireland 
  • Submit a dance piece, on film, of 2 to 7 minutes in duration, to your Regional Platform organizer – DU Dance (NI) via email info@dudanceni.com

Not sure of what to enter? Some examples of acceptable entries include:
 

  • A dance film featuring dancers recording sections remotely and edited together
  • A piece created and filmed pre-lockdown in a studio or theatre which has not been widely showcased
     
  • A solo entry

We welcome entries filmed on mobile phone, tablet, or professional equipment. See below for some helpful webinars which may assist your entry.

One Dance UK and all U.Dance Regional Partners are committed to helping you and your young dancers make the most of U.Dance during this difficult period. We want applications to best reflect the commitment and creativity of your work. It can be daunting creating, recording and editing a piece for film, and we want groups from a variety of settings to take part: 

  • School groups 
  • Youth dance companies 
  • Private dance schools 
  • Individuals 

All are welcome, and you may find working towards a performance opportunity like U.Dance will provide a welcome sense of achievement for your dancers. 

To support groups with their digital applications, we encourage you to watch the below Upskilling Webinars with dance film experts free of charge. These were filmed in December 2020 with a particular focus on dance for children and young people: 

  • Filming Dance for Stage with Craig Bush (previously worked with Birmingham Royal Ballet, New Adventures and Rambert School) 
  • Filming Dance for Screen with Jo Cork (The Place, Studio Wayne McGregor, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company)