Manchester’s talent shines with The National Youth Dance Company

Nic Lee, Beth Rogers and Aoibh Ryan will join dancers aged between 16 and 24 years old in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the company.

The trio of local dancers will soon embark on a UK-wide tour of Wayne McGregor’s new piece for the company, Novacene, with the show opening in Manchester at The Lowry on Saturday, April 15th at 7:30 pm.

It will then move on to London’s Sadler’s Wells and tour around the country to Ipswich, Birmingham and Leeds.

Nic, Beth and Aoibh said it was all a ‘dream come true’ to work with globally acclaimed choreographer Wayne McGregor, on some of the UK’s most prestigious stages.

We asked the dancers what they were most looking forward to about the performances, and here’s what they told us.

Nic said it had been one of her dreams to perform at The Lowry, having watched shows there when they were younger.

Speaking to I Love Manchester, they said: “The experience of being on stage and feeling a level of power on that stage and connecting with such a big audience. The Lowry is a place I would watch shows as kid and I always wanted to be on the stage so seeing that power switch from the audience to a dancer.”

Aoibh added that she just loved performing so much, and she ‘can’t wait to get started’.

The National Youth Dance Company has been providing young dancers with the opportunity to perform on the professional stage since its inception in 2012. The company aims to nurture and develop the talent of young dancers, enabling them to reach their full potential and inspiring future generations to pursue a career in dance.

The selection of Nic, Beth, and Aoibh for this year’s cohort is a testament to their hard work and dedication to the art form.

Their inclusion in the company is a great honour for them and their local community in Manchester.

During the dancers’ time with NYDC, they are offered a unique insight into the dance profession, living and working closely together as a company, alongside NYDC staff and the artistic team.

The year-long experience within the company provides members with the necessary skills and techniques to find career opportunities and raise aspirations, self-esteem and confidence.

The dancers are mentored during four intensive residencies in school holidays to create and rehearse the new piece.

The 2022/23 residencies are in Ipswich, Birmingham, London, Leeds and Manchester.

With 35 dancers, aged between 16 and 24 years old, hailing from 19 towns, cities and villages across England it’s a nationwide company.

Over the last 10 years NYDC has worked with over 6000 young people through workshops and projects across the country. 313 young people have joined the company, creating 10 full length dance productions by internationally renowned choreographers including Alesandra Seutin, Russell Maliphant, Botis Seva, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Michael Keegan Dolan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan & Jasmin Vardimon.