U.Dance East Midlands Review

U.Dance East Midlands was a day of youth dance at Curve, Leicester on Sunday 14^th March 2010. It was the regional platform for the East Midlands, showcasing young dance groups who had been picked as the best at their local platforms in Derby, Nottingham, Northamptonshire and Leicester. As a volunteer, I was working with national dance agency Dance4 alongside volunteers from De Montfort University’s Dance degree.

We all had an early start, meeting at Curve at 9.15am. We were issued with passes and fobs and quickly got on with our jobs. We’d had a meeting on the Friday before to discuss what each role entailed and what was happening on the day and had a tour of the building, which I must say is spectacular! We were using Curve for the whole day as each youth dance company had to arrive, have technical then dress rehearsals then perform in the evening show starting at 7pm with a procession and dance installations!

My roles on the day varied from stage door- signing groups in and out and ensuring fire regulations were known about, to stage manager assistance during the technical rehearsal. In the afternoon I was on security- swiping in the dance groups and also the members of Youth Dance England who had come for the National Strategy for Children and Young People's Dance 2010-2020 consultation. I was able to attend the consultation, which gave me a real insight into what is being proposed and the opportunity to introduce myself to many dance artists. It was then time for the performance and I took up my role on stage right, which allowed me to see some of the dancing and meet the young people as I guided them on and off stage.

The day finished at around 10.15pm, making it a very long Sunday but it had been such a brilliant day! We had gelled as a team of staff and volunteers and the young people seemed to really enjoy their experience of the day, working very professionally and showcasing a wide range of dance styles including ballet, street dance, contemporary and kathak. There was also a great mix of musical styles with one group using a company member’s beat-boxing skills to great effect!

I returned home with a renewed love for theatre and a spark of enthusiasm for Youth Dance. A poster, badge and t-shirt in hand to remind me of the day, and Youth Dance England’s website in mind (www.yde.org.uk) in order to volunteer for the national final of U.Dance England at Birmingham Hippodrome on Sunday 4^th July.

Many thanks to David Severn/Dance4 for the images.