Two dance groups, The Dance Society, Belfast and Academy Dance, Banbridge, are part of 32 groups selected to perform on the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall stages during the three-day U.Dance 2012 festival. One hundred and twenty youth dance groups competed for a place at the national festival.

It has also been announced that Arlene Phillips OBE, patron of the festival managing partner Youth Dance England (YDE), will be opening the festival on Friday 13th July.

The event, which will take place between 13th and 15th July 2012, will include three evening performances at Southbank Centre in London, showcasing some of the best talent in the country, as well as the première of the U.Dance Ensemble, the first youth dance company with dancers from Britain and Northern Ireland, who will present their new work choreographed by Hofesh Shechter.

http://www.u-dance.org/main.cfm?type=UDANCE2012PROGRAMME

Sutemos in the Oaks Shopping Centre, Dungannon on the 19th May from 2pm – 4pm on the hour and half hour.

Primary School Festival

This year’s festival will take place at Belvior Players Theatre on the 17th May. With project partners Belfast Education & Library Board, children from eight schools across Belfast will have a chance to share the work they have created and see professional dance live.

DU Dance in Palestine

DU Dance in Palestine – In June Mags will go back to Palestine to continue the company’s work with the local youth arts organisation YANTI. This is part of a three year long training and skills building programme working with local dance artists from the West Bank.

DU Dance in Germany

DU Dance in Germany – at the end of June Mags will travel with writer Richard Wolfenden Brown and musician Matt Baker to Nuremburg, Germany, to deliver a weekend of skills building workshops for local artists and teachers.

U Dance and world famous choreographer, Hofesh Schecter

This world famous choreographer, described by the Observer as dance’s most ‘explosive choreographer’, was in Belfast in November to audition young Northern Irish dancers for an innovative dance project, U.Dance. The project sees DU Dance partnering with Youth Dance England, YDance Scotland and Youth Arts Wales on the creation of a young dance ensemble who will perform at the Royal Festival Hall in a celebratory performance before the Olympics. Six young people were selected to go to the final auditions in London that were held in the Royal Opera House and two Northern Ireland dancers, Jemima Brown and Brona Jackson were selected to be part of the ensemble. Well done to all who took part in this, you are a credit to all.

The group will meet on alternate Sundays, starting..
Sunday 22nd of April
From 12-5pm
At the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast
The next workshop will be this Sunday, May 6th from 12pm to 5pm.

DU Dance is currently delivering the first part of a cross generational dance project targeting women and girls across a wide age range in Ballymena, Ballymoney and Belfast.  The programme encourages the sharing and exchange of ideas, skills and knowledge and connections between women of different generations and from diverse communities.  It will include the composition of original and live music, by composer Ruby Colley, and a diverse skills programme and will conclude with the creation of two short films. The films will provide a backdrop to a performance in St Annes Cathedral, later in the year.

Alternative Energies is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Arts and Older People’s Programme and The Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland

Merge is a a dynamic, large scale programme for young people aged 14-24. The project integrates urban and contemporary music, art and dance forms and is aimed mostly, but not exclusively, at young people not in full time training or education.

Merge kicked of in October 2011 with  5 performances of eMERGEncy at T13, a warehouse in Belfast Titanic’s Quarter which has been transformed into Ireland’s ‘largest urban playground’. eMERGEncy was part of the Belfast Festival at Queen’s.  It was really well received and played to large audiences.

“A beautiful clash of harmony – a chilling show”
“Refreshing, Mesmerising, Powerful”
“Moved to tears – best piece I have seen in awhile”
“Worthwhile coming to Belfast – travelled 40 miles – brilliant”
“Best performance of the festival”
“most incredible show I’ve ever seen”
“Best thing I’ve seen in Belfast in ages”
“History Making”
“A truly spectacular multimedia display of our young people’s talents – must be repeated after the festival”

The project’s young steering group is now devising the next stage of the programme.

DU Dance project partners on this project are  YouthAction, New Lodge Arts, Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre and Square Pit Productions.

Sutemos were one of only two groups in Northern Ireland to receive funding under the BBC Performing Arts Fund  2011/12. They successful delivered performances in December at CRAIC Theatre and Arts Centre in Coalisland and the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast.  The group, who range in age from 11 years to 23 years, are presently developing their skills and creating a new dance work for performance in the summer of 2012.  They have been invited to take part in a pan-european youth dance festival in July in Detmold, Germany.

Sutemos is an integrated youth dance group based in Dungannon who meet every week under the guidance of choreographer Sheena Kelly. For further information please contact DU Dance.

Mags Byrne, artistic director of DU Dance says: “The company has relished this opportunity to work in South Tyrone, and further the process of dance development in Northern Ireland. We believe a project like Sutemos empowers young people, boosts their self-esteem, forges better community connections and promotes a shared sense of cultural enrichment”.

Gilly Campbell, Dance and Drama Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: “As the core funder of DU Dance, the Arts Council supports initiatives like this that reach out to young people from all communities, helping to develop their creative skills”

DUNI youth dancers will take part in the evening showcase, which starts at 7.45pm, performing “Severed Strings”, a piece specially created for them by the DUNI choreographers, Sheena Kelly and Adib Maani-Hessari. “Severed Strings” was created during a week-long residential dance course in July 2010 and was first performed in the same month at a community dance festival in Detmold, Germany. It explores ideas around control and constriction, and the freedom felt when the binds are cut. For more information, please visit the Crescent Arts Centre website.

Recent Past Events

Dance United Northern Ireland will be taking part in Culture Night Belfast 2010, on September 24th. Culture Night celebrates the broad cultural landscape of Belfast. Please see below for more information on Culture Night.

Dance United NI choreographers/dancers (Adib Maani-Hessari, Sheena Kelly, Michaela Elliott) will present a lively, short piece entitled “261…..Any Time Now”, which will be performed at bus stops and unexpected places throughout the Cathedral quarter.

In addition, DUNI youth dancers will perform “Severed Strings”, at Writers Square, a piece specially created for them by the DUNI choreographers, Sheena Kelly and Adib Maani-Hessari.

Locations: Writers Sq; and bus stops at Custom House Sq, Donegall St (near 35), York St (near Art College) and Bridge St (beside Barnardos).

Times: 6pm to 8pm
Tel: 028 9033 0956 for more information

Culture Night Belfast 2010
Cathedral Quarter Belfast and beyond…

This year, Culture Night Belfast 2010 welcomes even more organisations, in the Cathedral Quarter and in partnering communities across the city who generously programme free events including indoor and outdoor theatre, gigs, exhibits, events, talks and tours for all ages, in an exhilarating, unprecedented celebration of the city of Belfast.

For those of you, who came along last year, welcome to the second instalment of Belfast’s biggest, boldest and brightest cultural showcase. For those of you yet to experience the delights of Culture Night Belfast, join us for an unforgettable evening of adventure and exploration in a city full of surprises.

Culture Night Belfast – All events are free and family friendly. Rain or shine Culture Night is an exhilarating celebration of some of the things we do best.