U.Dance is the national programme of dance events offering high-quality opportunities to young people led by One Dance UK.

Each year, UK’s young dancers can:

– explore their creativity
– learn more about dance careers
– experience the thrill and sense of achievement of performing

This year, there will be two separate opportunities to be eligible for the U.Dance National 2022 event – U.Dance on Stage and MY Dance On Screen.

We welcome and encourage youth dance groups and soloists who create dance pieces in all genres, such as any and all street dance styles, jazz and theatre styles, ballet, South Asian dance, contemporary dance, dance of the African Diaspora, folk dance. No genre is excluded, U.Dance is for everyone.

One Dance UK works with partners across the country to deliver and support the U.Dance events. We’re committed to offering young people performance opportunities and access to high-quality dance experiences.

We’re seeking applications that best reflect the commitment and creativity of your work. We invite groups and individuals from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to take part. After such a turbulent period, working towards a performance opportunity like the U.Dance Regional Platforms and/or National Festival can hopefully provide you with a welcome sense of achievement for your dancers.

U.DANCE ON STAGE

We at Dance4 will be working with regional partners to host live U.Dance platform events across the East Midlands. The live events will take place in Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Corby and Lincoln between March and April 2022.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

– Create a dance piece made for the stage – to be performed at your local ‘U.Dance on Stage’ live event (Corby, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln or Nottingham)

– Ensure the dance piece between 2 and 7 minutes long

– Be based and involve dancers from the East Midlands

– Submit a video of your finished dance piece, preferably with costume and as closely related to the final work as possible.

– There should be no more than x30 dancers

–  For dancers aged 11 to 19 years (as of 24 July 2022 and dancers with disabilities aged up to and including 25 on or by this date)

U.DANCE ON STAGE LIVE EVENTS

Groups can apply for their local live event:

Groups can apply for one of the above county events only OR one of the above county events and the U.Dance 2022 National Festival.

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR U.DANCE ON STAGE: MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2022, 12PM (MIDDAY)

MY DANCE ON SCREEN

We at Dance4 (Nottingham) and DanceXchange (Birmingham) are delighted to announce MY Dance On Screen 2022, a celebration of youth dance on screen from across the Midlands. 

We’re inviting dance submissions created specifically for on screen. We welcome submissions from schools, dance groups or individuals with no limit to the number of dancers that can be involved. The submissions will open up an opportunity to be part of our feature film and also be selected for the U.Dance On Screen platform at the U.Dance National Festival.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

To be eligible for your work to be considered for MY Dance On Screen 2022 and U.Dance National Festival 2022 you must:

– Submit a dance piece made specifically for the screen, between 2 and 7 minutes long

– Only include dancers aged 11 to 19 years (as of 24 July 2022 and dancers with disabilities aged up to and including 25 on or by this date)

– Only include dancers based in the East or West Midlands

– Adhere to the music licensing requirements

The same youth group or individual may apply for both the ‘On-Stage’ and ‘On-Screen’ opportunities, but the same piece of work cannot be submitted.

MY DANCE ON SCREEN APPLICATION DEADLINE: MONDAY 7 MARCH 2022, 12PM (MIDDAY)

U.DANCE NATIONAL FESTIVAL 2022

This will all lead to the U.Dance National Festival 2022, which will be held at MAC (Midlands Arts Centre) in Birmingham from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 July 2022.

Hosting a showcase of the UK’s youth dance talent, with groups selected from each regional platform along with special guests and incredible opportunities for young people to meet, learn from and dance with the country’s leading dance professionals.

We also plan to celebrate the best in youth screen dance by hosting showcases of U.Dance on Screen entries at the National Festival. Both ‘On Screen’ showcases and ‘On Stage’ showcases will be shown on the big screen at partner cinema locations.

Groups selected to attend the National will be responsible for funding their travel, food and accommodation to the U.Dance National Festival. There is a small support fund to help groups who might require assistance.

For more information, please read the U.Dance National Guidance Notes.

Landscape header image by Matthew Cawrey.