Academy Dance from Banbridge part of pre-Olympic festival

DU Dance, Northern Ireland’s foremost dance development company announced that 29 young dancers from Northern Ireland would be taking part in the prestigious pre-Olympic Dance Festival in London next month.

The U.Dance Ensemble is the first-ever youth dance company with dancers from Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of 19 young dancers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland between the ages of 16 and 21 years.

And Academy Dance from Banbridge Academy will join thirty groups, selected from across the UK, to perform on the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall stages during the three-dayU.Dance 2012 Festival.

One hundred and twenty youth dance groups competed for a place at the national festival.

The event, which took place between 13 and 15 July 2012, was set to include three evening performances atSouthbank 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.

Diane Morrow, choreographer and dance teacher of Banbridge Academy said, “This has been a fabulous opportunity for the girls to showcase their dance talent and to participate in a national dance platform.

“The thirteen girls are showcasing a piece abut the Titanic, The Waves of the Titanic 1912. It has given the girls a really great opportunity to focus on their training and fundraising skills. Our principal, Raymond Pollock has been extremely supportive of the project.”

The extraordinary event was made possible through a partnership between Youth Dance England, Southbank Centre, YDance (Scottish Youth Dance), National Youth Dance Wales, and DU Dance (NI),based in Northern Ireland; which sees each organisation sharing their resources and expertise to ensure U.Dance 2012 will be a magnificent showcase of youth dance work from Britain and Northern Ireland.