Déda Announces New Youth Company
Déda is launching a new youth performance company at its Derby studios as part of its creative focus to bring together and develop dance, contemporary circus and outdoor work.
A small group of young people have already joined a preliminary Youth Dance and Circus Company based at Déda.
They performed a short piece which combined contemporary dance with aerial and acrobatic skills in front of a wide range of arts professionals who recently met at Déda to discuss the way forward in fusing the art forms.
Auditions will be held over the coming weeks and the new company will officially launch in September – meeting and rehearsing at Déda’s purpose-built dance and aerial skills studio in Chapel Street.
Déda Head of Learning and Development Clare Limb explained: “Our goal is to create a Midlands hub here in Derby for creative excellence and explore where dance and circus meet in performance both for the indoor and outdoor sectors as well as in educational contexts.
“We are working with some of the top choreographers and performers in these areas and have welcomed some incredible national and international artists to our theatre.
“A vital part of our work is to develop this fusion of skills amongst young people through our academy and education programmes.
“We know there is an appetite for this through the feedback from students on the University of Derby’s BA Hons Dance degree programme which is based here and already brings together these different skills.
“Our class and youth academy programmes already spans a multitude of styles and techniques from trapeze to hip hop but the new Youth Dance and Contemporary Circus Company will be an exciting development to combine these artforms.”
The preliminary members of the performance company have joined from a variety of backgrounds – including contemporary dance, ballet, acrobatics and aerial skills.
Lola Greenwood (11) said: “I have done gymnastics in the past and I wanted to try something new. This is great way of experimenting with different moves.”
Jasmine Morris (11) added: “I have been dancing for a few years and have done gymnastic in the past. Lately I have been doing the aerial skills class at Déda so this is a brilliant opportunity to bring it altogether and do something totally different.”
Luca Selwood (14) continued: “I have been dancing for many years but have never done the aerial skills before. Once you get the hang of the trapeze it’s quite easy and is just suspended movement in the air.”
And Melitta Speck (11) concluded: “I dance at Déda already but this is great to be doing something new. We are all starting this at the same time so we are learning and experimenting together and I am looking forward to the company starting on a regular basis in September.”
For information about auditions, please contact Isobel Davis: i.davis@deda.uk.com For more information about all the class and youth academy programme at Déda please visit www.deda.uk.com