28th April 2026

21st April 2026

Earlier this month, new artistic director Jack Philp met with the Arts Council Northern Ireland to share a little more about what inspires him and what excites him for the future.  You can read the full blog HERE and watch short clip from the interview below:

16th April 2026

Over the past fourteen years, the Unanimous platform has continued to expand and help young people from the ages of 12-24 years to get together in a professional theatre, develop skills, share their experience and form new connections.

This year we were delighted to be joined at The MAC Belfast for the first time by Derry Dance Collective.   Then, alongside two groups from DU Dance NI’s Youth Engagement Programmes; Sutemos Youth Dance and Belfast Boys, Unanimous also welcomed Claire Novaes Dance (Moira), Dublin Youth Dance Company, FYI Dance Club (Wicklow), High Points Youth Ballet (Belfast), Ohr Dance Company and Laois Youth Dance Ensemble (Juniors and Seniors).  Have a look at the photo collage below.

It was a fantastic evening compèred with great energy by the Youth Steering Group.   As with previous Unanimous showcase events, audiences enjoyed a great variety of powerful performances and the feedback was really positive:

Excellent. Very fun and loved seeing the dancers enjoying themselves.

Well organised and professional. 

Outstanding!!

Really interesting and diverse.

Unanimous brings together some of the best youth dance groups in a non-competitive event. The diversity of the line-up for Unanimous always serves to reaffirm DU Dance (NI)’s commitment to fostering dance talent and providing a supportive professional environment for dancers of all backgrounds.  When asked why youth dance is important, here are some of the responses from the audience:

It is vital for self-expression, making friendships, some discipline and exercise.

Youth dance is vital for youth people to have the opportunity to express themselves, to learn something new and engage with peers

If you were there, do tell us what you thought.

We look forward to doing it all again in April 2027!

10th March 2026

Join us in welcoming Donna Sun, a postgraduate student at Queen’s University, who has joined us on a course placement whilst she takes the MA in Arts Management.

Donna is a professional dancer from Taiwan, an avid theatre-goer and enjoys writing. She is keen to translate these cross-disciplinary passions into a professional career in arts administration. Over the next few weeks, Donna will focus on content creation in the run up to Unanimous and support with event logistics on the day.

On living in Belfast, Donna says: “Belfast is a fantastic city that boasts a diverse culture, friendly people, and a vibrant arts scene. I’m absolutely loving life in this city, and I’m thrilled to have become part of DU Dance!”

And we look forward to working with you Donna!

26th February 2026

UNANIMOUS 2026 tickets are live! Visit themaclive.com or click this LINK.

Unanimous is a powerful, energy-packed show for all the family. It takes place on Thursday 2nd April at 7pm at The MAC Belfast and tickets are just £10 or £6 for Under 16s and concessions.

The annual performance showcase features ten of the best youth dance groups – including Sutemos and Belfast Boys – and this year we are delighted to welcome Derry Dance Collective.

Cara Wilson-Hegarty, Teacher/Choreographer and Studio Owner of Derry Dance Collective said:

“Being part of Unanimous 2026 is a hugely exciting opportunity for Derry Dance Collective. For our senior dancers, it’s a chance to perform on a respected youth dance platform, connect with other young artists, and represent Derry in a wider dance community. We are especially excited to share the stage, learn from others, and be part of such an inspiring event.”

Come along to Unanimous and see the dancers of tomorrow!

Photo of Mannin Youth Dance at last year’s event. Credit to Jim Corr Photography

3rd February 2026

On Sunday 1 February, Mags, Debs and Barbara attended Belfast Cathedral’s annual Good Samaritans’ Service on behalf of DU Dance (NI) to receive a very welcome donation from The 2025 Black Santa Sit-out Appeal.  This generous donation will immensely benefit Alternative Energies, our intergenerational dance programme in Ballycastle.

This year’s Sit-out raised over £140,000, all of which has been shared out among over 100 local charities.

The 50th Anniversary Appeal (Black Santa 2026) is expected to begin in December 2026.

(Photo of interior of Belfast Cathedral during the Good Samaritans’ Service.)

27th January 2026

Arts Award is a UK wide initiative which takes anyone aged up to 25 on a creative journey, exploring the arts world, discovering their potential as artists, developing leadership skills – and gaining a recognised qualification along the way.

In 2025-26, DU Dance are offering the young people on our Young Engagement Projects the opportunity to avail of this unique range of qualifications.  We will be running the Explore Award with our younger classes and the Bronze Award with our older classes.  Both are completely voluntary with no examination at the end and the young people respond to the sections in the booklet with drawings, collage, photographs and writing.  At the end of the programme there is a visit from an assessor who will talk to them to ensure the booklet has been filled out and the course has been completed.

The awards are regulated in Northern Ireland by CCEA and the awarding organisation is Trinity College London in association with Arts Council England.

We look forward to supporting the artists and arts leaders of the future!

The Primary School Dance Festival is one of our favourite events of the year;  two busy, loud days of movement, creativity and sharing at Belvoir Studio Theatre.

One teacher said of the event last year:

“Our P6s had the most wonderful morning and when we arrived back to school a few asked if we could just start the day again! I don’t imagine they will stop talking about it for quite a while! What a wonderful way to encourage dance and creative movement in a completely pressure free, non competitive environment.”

If you know of any primary schools in Greater Belfast who would like to get involved in our annual Primary School Dance Festival in May 2026, please get in touch.

Call Mags on 028 9023 0877 or email info@dudanceni.com.

22nd January 2026

Join us in saying hello to Ayesha Mailey who is joining the DU Dance team to direct our Sutemos Youth Engagement Project in Dungannon while Christine is on maternity leave.  Ayesha we look forward to working with you and Christine we wish you the very best and can’t wait to meet your new little dancer!

Ayesha is a freelance dance artist with over 25 years of experience. She holds a BA (Hons) in Dance and she works across the North West and internationally as a performer, teacher, choreographer and improviser. She was previously Associate Artistic Director and an ensemble member of Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company. Ayesha continues to develop her practice through professional and participatory projects with people of all ages and abilities. Since 2013 she has regularly performed with LUXe Landscape Theatre for processional and site-specific shows. Ayesha has collaborated with artists of various disciplines from across Europe and the Middle East, and her work has taken her to Ireland, England, New York, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Russia, Italy and Hong Kong to research, teach, and perform.

13th January 2026

Jen Shepherd joins the DU Dance (NI) team as part-time General Manager.  Jen is highly experienced in Company Management, Production Management and all aspects of arts administration.  She is a graduate of the Welsh College of Music and Drama and past roles have included Producer of Tinderbox Theatre Company and extensive freelance production management. She is currently working part-time as Admin & Finance Assistant with Belfast Ensemble and volunteers with Welsh rewilding project Tir Natur.

Jen loves live music and visual art, and any excuse to get out into nature, such as camping with her young family.