Press Release: Botis Seva announced as next Guest Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company

[Jan McNulty]

National Youth Dance Company
- Botis Seva announced as next Guest Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC)
- Experience Workshops for 2018-19 intake from May to July this year
- National Tour this summer of Sharon Eyal’s Used To Be Blonde 

National Youth Dance Company (NYDC), the country’s flagship organisation for young dancers which is run by Sadler’s Wells, will work with choreographer Botis Seva as the next Guest Artistic Director of the company. NYDC begins its search for the next intake of 30 young dancers to join the company for 2018-19 and work with Seva to create a new dance production, with Experience Workshopstaking place across England from next month. The organisation has been granted further support for the two years ahead from the Department for Education and Arts Council England, to continue nurturing the country’s young dance talent and building the leading dance artists of the future.

Seva takes over from the current Guest Artistic Director, Israeli choreographer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sharon Eyal. Used To Be Blonde, Eyal’s production with the National Youth Dance Company, premiered to critical acclaim at Sadler’s Wells earlier this month and performs across England this summer as part of a UK Tour.

Botis Seva is a dance artist, choreographer and director working within the realms of contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip-hop. He was awarded the Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund, Marion North Mentoring Award in 2015 and has won two international choreographic competitions: Choreography 30 in Hannover, Germany and Copenhagen’s International Choreographic Competition. Seva’s recent dance credits include InNoForm for the British Dance Edition & Laban Theatre, Woman of Sun for Greenwich Dance & Trinity Laban Partnership Compass Commission, outdoor work H.O.H for Without Walls, GDIF & Norfolk & Norwich Festival and TuTuMucky for Scottish Dance Theatre. Seva and his collective Far From the Norm have previously performed at Sadler’s Wells with Breakin’ Convention, and curated a Wild Card evening in the Lilian Baylis Studio. In October he will be seen in Reckonings, a new commission by Sadler’s Wells to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the current theatre, alongside UK based dance-makers Julie Cunningham and Alesandra Seutin.

Botis Seva, NYDC Guest Artistic Director, said: “I’m very excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with the National Youth Dance Company. I look forward to sharing my passion for dance with these young performers, and having the opportunity to challenge my own dance language whilst I am Guest Artistic Director. Having the chance to work with NYDC has always been on my bucket list, and I hope with the support of Sadler’s Wells this experience will truly push me as an artist.”

Experience Workshops take place across England from May to July. The workshops are an opportunity to find out more about NYDC. Young dancers will take part in a company class, learn repertoire from NYDC productions and take part in creative tasks. Participants will also meet members of the current company, ask questions and get advice on dance training and careers in dance. Experience Workshops are used as an opportunity to be considered for a place in the 2018-19 company. They are open to dancers from all backgrounds and abilities, with experience in any dance style. 

Entering its seventh year, NYDC has established a reputation for innovative, challenging and influential work, producing open-minded and curious dancers. The company brings together the brightest talent from across England, immersing the members fully in the process of creating, performing and touring new work, giving them a unique insight into the dance profession. NYDC has a track record of putting young people on paths to successful dance careers, with over 80% of all former NYDC dancers now either in further dance studies, in vocational training or working professionally. Graduates from NYDC have since danced in Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Teaċ Daṁsa, Hofesh II, and the Jasmin Vardimon Company.

In addition to the core programme, NYDC runs additional projects that support dance in communities across the country. Current members will visit Falmouth in May for a residency with local young dancers who are a part of Propeller and Hall for Cornwall Youth Dance. This starts a creation process that culminates in a large-scale outdoor performance at the Eden Project in July. Also, NYDC recently partnered with the inclusive Corali Dance Company to create a new dance film, directed by Paul Davidson (a Corali and NYDC dancer), which has been developed into a workshop for young dancers with regional partners across England.

NYDC is jointly funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education through Grant in Aid funds

Reckonings, featuring Botis Seva, Julie Cunningham and Alesandra Seutin, is part of Sadler’s Wells 20th anniversary season which goes on sale Monday 21 May


LISTINGS INFORMATION

Used To Be Blonde National Tour dates:
Sunday 24 June: Riley Theatre, Leeds
Saturday 30 June: Dance City, Newcastle
Sunday 8 July: The Curve, Leicester
Thursday 12 July: Jerwood Dance House Dance East, Ipswich
Saturday 14 July: Latitude Festival
Wednesday 18 July: AMATA, Falmouth
Friday 20 July: Brighton Dome Concert Hall

NYDC Experience Workshops:
Sunday 6 May: Hymers College, Hull
Saturday 12 May: The City College Theatre, Plymouth            
Sunday 13 May: Merseyside Dance Initiative, Liverpool
Saturday 19 May: University of Central Lancanshire, Preston
Sunday 20 May: Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Saturday 26 May: DanceXchange, Birmingham
Sunday 27 May: Swindown Dance, Swindon
Monday 28 May: AMATA, Falmouth University            
Tuesday 29 May: The Point, Eastleigh
Wednesday 30 May: North Kesteven Academy, Lincoln
Friday 1 June: Ipswich Dance East
Saturday 2 June: Sadler's Wells, London 
Sunday 3 June: CAST, Doncaster
Saturday 9 June: BHASVIC, Brighton
Sunday 10 June: The Garage, Norwich
Sunday 24 June: Riley Theatre, Leeds
Sunday 1 July: Studio Theatre, Newcastle
Sunday 8 July: Curve Theatre, Leicester


NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT NATIONAL YOUTH DANCE COMPANY
Founded in 2012, and hosted at Sadler’s Wells, NYDC is an exciting young company that creates and performs innovative and influential dance, drawing together some of the brightest young talent from across the country. NYDC is jointly funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education through Grant in Aid funds. Since NYDC’s inception in 2012: 
- 180 dancers have joined the company, working intensively with renowned dance artists including Guest Artistic Directors: Jasmin Vardimon (2012-13), Akram Khan (2013-14), Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (2014-15), Michael Keegan Dolan (2015-16), Damien Jalet (2016-17) and Sharon Eyal (2017-18). These 180 dancers come from over 80 different towns and cities in England. 
- Over 2500 young people have worked with the company 
- NYDC has delivered 107 workshops in 34 different venues across 24 towns and cities 
- Over 36,000 people have seen the company perform 
- NYDC has featured in 59 performances, visiting 22 different venues across the UK, including some leading theatres in the country.

ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading creative organisation dedicated to dance in all its forms. With over three centuries of theatrical heritage and a year-round programme of performances and learning activities, it is the place where artists come together to create dance, and where people of all backgrounds come to experience it – to take part, learn, experiment and be inspired.
Audiences of over half a million come to its London theatres each year, with many more enjoying its touring productions at venues across the UK and around the world, and accessing its content through digital channels.
Sadler's Wells commissions, produces and presents more new dance work than any other theatre in the world, embracing the popular and the unknown. Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 160 new dance works to the stage, many of them involving its 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and four Associate Companies – the most exciting talents working in dance today.
It also nurtures the next generation of talent through research and development, running the National Youth Dance Company and a range of programmes including Wild Card, New Wave Associates, Open Art Surgery and Summer University. Sadler's Wells' learning and engagement activities reach over 25,000 annually through programmes that take dance out into the community and invite communities into the theatre. Projects include community productions and the renowned Company of Elders, its resident over-60s performance group, while events range from pre and post-show talks with dance artists to classes, workshops and assisted performances.
Located in Islington, north London, the current building is the sixth to have stood on site since entrepreneur Richard Sadler first established the theatre in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera having all started at Sadler's Wells.