Press Release: Sadler’s Wells announces the next cohort of National Youth Dance Company and National Tour of Oona Doherty’s Wall

[Jan McNulty]

Wednesday 10 January 2024

Sadler’s Wells announces the next cohort of National Youth Dance Company and National Tour of Oona Doherty’s Wall  National Youth Dance Company (NYDC), England’s flagship company for young dancers which is run by Sadler’s Wells, has selected the intake for its 2023/24 cohort.  With 32 dancers, aged between 16 and 24 years old, and hailing from 21 towns, cities and villages across England, from Winchester to Durham, Penzance to Folkestone, it’s a truly nationwide company. These young dancers join Guest Artistic Director Oona Doherty to work on brand new work Wall, which premieres at Leeds Playhouse on Saturday 13 April, before touring the country.   If you spoke to Britain what would it say? Wall asks a group of young people from around England to say what they think – the good, the bad, and the ugly. The old and new... Oona Doherty creates a new work in which the dancers keep getting up and keep showing us their real strength and beauty, in a repetitive movement of resistance, stamina, and will. Their greatness in Britain. Wall features music by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey, lighting design by founding member of Malaprop TheatreJohn Gunning, and costume design is by Ryan Dawson Laight who has worked extensively in theatre and dance. Award-winning photographer and video maker Luca Truffarelli is the audio, photo and video collaborator. NYDC alumni Nya Bardouille is Assistant to the choreographer. Wall premieres on Saturday 13 April at Leeds Playhouse, before touring to Wakefield, Falmouth, Ipswich, Latitude Festival, Leicester and London, including a performance at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on Saturday 13 July. The 32 dancers of National Youth Dance Company’s new cohort for 2023/24 are:  Aleesha Moyo (Leeds), Anya Rakshit (Derby), Aoibh Ryan (Manchester), Ayuna Berbidaeva (London), Charly Knights (Leamington Spa), Daisy Bilsland (Ashford), Ernie Shorten (Somerset), Francis    Henry (Leeds), Frank Thorpe (Sheffield), Fue Akama (Huddersfield), Georgia           Coulson (Penzance), Gilbert Dicks (Cambridge), James Airey (Chesterfield), Kitty Newton (Haslemere), Lina Kasasa (London), Luis Green (Folkestone), Luke       James (Birmingham), Maisie Lincoln (Ipswich), Matthew Atkinson (Durham), Meeri Niva (London), Megan Chaytor Wilson (Durham), Megan     Georges (London), Monét Brooks (London), Morgan Heimsoth (Newbury), Otis De Ville Morel (Okehampton), Phoebe Mufushwa (Winchester), Rosa Boadle-Soumah (Leeds), Roselynn Gumbo         (Manchester), Rowan  Williams (Somerset), Ruben Morais (Devon), Venus Shury (London), Wray Maxwell-Mulligan (Manchester).  Covering all regions across the country, 13 workshops took place between April- July 2023 to select the new members for the 2023/24 intake. All dancers are aged 16-24 and come from a range of different dance backgrounds.   During the dancers’ time with NYDC, they are offered a unique insight into the dance profession, living and working closely together as a company, alongside NYDC staff and the artistic team. The year-long experience within the company provides members with the necessary skills and techniques to find career opportunities and raise aspirations, self-esteem and confidence. The dancers are mentored during four intensive residencies in school holidays to create and rehearse a new piece by the company’s Guest Artistic Director. The 2023/24 residencies will take place in Suffolk, Birmingham, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. Guest Artistic Director, Oona Doherty said, “I’m amazed at the creativity, stamina, and energy of the company. It's infectious, and inspiring to get to work with the next generation of performers and dance makers. As well as a learning curve into the professionalism of ‘care’ by the whole NYDC team. I think many choreographers and companies could learn a lot by collaborating with NYDC. I'm excited to see what we as a team will create and share. It makes me proud to work in dance.”   Head of National Youth Dance Company, Hannah Kirkpatrick said, “This is our twelfth cohort of NYDC dancers, and we are really excited to share the piece they are creating with Oona. Each dancer brings their own experience into the company, and they represent all the brilliant and varied training programmes and youth groups across England. Being in NYDC is as much about learning how to work within a company, as it is about creating a new dance piece. NYDC is about 32 young people showing why dance is important to them and what they can achieve together if given the opportunity, platform and resource to do so.”   NYDC is jointly funded by Arts Council England from Lottery and Grant in Aid Resources, and the Department for Education  Barclays is the Associate Partner of National Youth Dance Company NOTES TO EDITORS Listings information National Youth Dance Company Tour Dates 2023    Leeds  Leeds Playhouse  Saturday 13 April at 7:30 pm     Wakefield CAPA College Sunday 30 June at 7 pm  Falmouth AMATA Arts Centre, Falmouth University  Sunday 7 July at 7:30 pm    London  Sadler’s Wells Saturday 13 July at 7:30 pm    Ipswich DanceEast Saturday 20 July at 7:30 pm   London  Bold Tendencies  Thursday 25 July at 8 pm     Suffolk  Latitude Festival  Saturday 27 July   Leicester The Curve Monday 29 July at 7:30 pm About NYDC   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. Since NYDC’s inception in 2012:    336 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), Sharon Eyal (2017-18) Botis Seva (2018-19), Russell Maliphant (2019-20) and Alesandra Seutin (2020-2022). These 310 dancers come from over 80 different towns and cities in England.   Over 7000 young people have worked with the company NYDC has reached an audience of over 50,000 people     NYDC has featured in 94 performances, visiting 26 different venues across the UK, including some leading theatres in the country    About Sadler’s Wells      Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.    We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.      Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.     Sadler’s Wells East   In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin’ Convention.   Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler’s Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.    Supporting artists  Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.     Learning and community links  Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.      Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.      www.sadlerswells.com    Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media     Facebook: @SadlersWells     Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells     Instagram: @sadlers_wells     YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre About Oona Doherty Oona Doherty was born in 1986 in London. Doherty moved to Belfast when she was 10 and studied at St Louise’s comprehensive college in Belfast, The London School of Contemporary Dance, University of Ulster and LABAN London. From 2010 she performed with various companies, including: TRASH (NL), Abattoir Fermé (BE), Veronika Riz (IT), Emma Martin/United Fall (ROI), Enda Walsh & Landmark Productions (ROI).   Doherty created her first solo work Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus in 2016. With this performance, she was awarded the “Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival Best Performer Award” in 2016 and the winner of the “Total Theatre Dance Award” at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and the 1st Audience place and judge’s 1st place at Reconnaissance in Grenoble in 2017, which was voted "No. 1 British dance performance of 2019" by the Guardian.   In 2019 she created Lady Magma: The Birth of a Cult. That same year, her work was highlighted at the rencontres chorégraphiques de Seine Saint Denis, (FR). Doherty’s distinctive and visceral choreography has sparked international attention, earning multiple awards, amazing reviews and prestigious artistic opportunities both in Ireland, Europe and worldwide. She creates intense, compelling works that appeal for societal change. She has forged a wide range of artistic relationships locally and internationally.   In August 2022, Doherty created her first major group piece, Navy Blue for 12 dancers, a ballet with music by Sergei Rachmaninov and original creation by Jamie xx.   In July 2023, Doherty moved to Marseille and her company The OD Works also moved. Doherty is currently working on a new piece on the border between dance, theatre and performance: Specky Clark - A series of theatrical images. It is due to premiere at the Pavillon Noir in November 2024.   Doherty will be associate artist of the CCN d'Aix-en-Provence - Pavillon Noir, for the 2024/25 season.   Doherty was awarded the Venice Biennale Silver Lion in 2021 and was one of the Aerowaves 2017 selected artists, an Associate Artist at Maison de la Danse de Lyon (FR) in 2017/18, Doherty was Dublin Dance Festival Artist in Residence in 2020/22 and a Big Pulse Dance Alliance Artist in 2021/23. About John Gunning John Gunning is an alumnus of Dublin Youth Theatre and a founding member of Malaprop Theatre.    Gunning’s lighting credits with Malaprop include Hothouse, Where Sat The Lovers, Everything Not Saved, Jericho, BlackCatfishMusketeer, and LOVE+.    Gunning’s other credits include This Solution (Shaun Dunne), Navy Blue (Oona Doherty), Mosh (Rachel Ní Bhraonain),Tiny Plays 24/7, Tiny Plays For A Brighter Future (Fishamble), Venus in Furs (Rough Magic SEEDS),The Roaring Banshees (Devious Theatre Co.), We Can’t Have Monkeys in the House (Sad Strippers), Bulrusher, The Three Sisters, The Laramie Project, Demons (Lir Academy), and The Egg Is A Lonely Hunter (Hannah Mamalis).  About Ryan Dawson Laight Ryan Dawson Laight is a Costume and Set Designer, working extensively in theatre and dance.   Dawson Laight’s dance credits include Mama for Botis Seva (Sadler’s Wells and International Tour), Neighbours for Brigel Gjoka, Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit & Ruşan Filiztek created in collaboration with William Forsythe (Sadler’s Wells and International Tour), A Tale of Two Cities for Lost Dog/Ben Duke (International Tour), Speak Volumes, Quartier Paradis for Alessandra Seutin (NYDC/Sadler’s Wells), Botis Seva’s Good Youts Walk (Tour), Botis Seva's BLKDOG (Sadler’s Wells, Olivier Award Best New Dance 2019); Blak Whyte Gray (Boy Blue/Barbican, Olivier Award Nomination 2018); REDD (Boy Blue/Barbican Theatre); Madhead (NYDC/Sadler's Wells); Wasteland, Coal (Gary Clark Company, UK Theatre Award for Achievement in Dance); Toro, Mariposa, Ham and Passion (DeNada Dance Theatre); Drew McOnie's Drunk (Leicester Curve/Bridewell Theatre) and Good Morning Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre); Genius (Anjali); New Ways Of Living (Pink Fringe Brighton); Je Suis (Aakash Odedra Company/Lillian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells); Ruffle (Carlos Pons Guerra/Rambert Dance/Lowry Theatre); Hear Hear (Deaf Men Dancing, Sadler’s Wells).   Dawson Laight has been a visiting designer and lecturer at BRIT School (Croydon), University of Chichester, Aiglon College (Switzerland), ALRA, London Studio Centre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Trinity Laban, Tring School of Performing Arts, as well as delivering workshops for the Victoria and Albert Museum, Working Title Films, Chichester Festival Theatre, and his own workshops from his studio (Backstage Design Workshop). About Mark Leckey Mark Leckey (born 1964, Birkenhead), is a contemporary artist working with a variety of media including film, sound, sculpture and performance. His work explores the relationship between popular culture and technology and explores the subjects of anxiety, class and nostalgia. In 2008 Leckey won the Turner Prize for his exhibition Industrial Light and Magic and has had recent solo exhibitions at Tate Britain (London), MOMA PS1 (New York), SMK Denmark (Copenhagen), Kunsthalle Basel (Basel) and Haus der Kunst (Munich). His most recent project, In The Offing, opened at Turner Contemporary, Margate on 7 October 2023. About Luca Truffarelli Luca Truffarelli is a freelance photographer and video maker, who in recent years has started experimenting in the field of visual arts and sound/set design. Truffarelli has been involved in contemporary dance and theatre works as a photographer/video maker, visual/set designer and artistic collaborator. Truffarelli has received awards on several film projects including best documentary at DIFF 2023 for the film Notes from Sheepland by Cara Holmes and worked with directors such as Ingrid Nachstern and Shaun Dunne whose work have been featured in several international film festivals.    In 2020 Truffarelli was D.O.P. on Welcome to a Bright White Limbo directed by Cara Holmes which was awarded an IFTA for best Irish short. Truffarelli’s most recent work includes collaboration with acclaimed choreographers and companies Oona Doherty/OD Works, Philip Connaughton Dance, Liz Roche Company, Junk Ensemble, Emma Martin/United Fall, Catherine Young Dance, Thibaut Eiferman/ENTITY (Paris), and NYDC Sadler’s Wells (London).    Truffarelli made his first solo dance piece THE WEIGHT as a director and creator at The Complex in Dublin in November 2023.  About Nya Bardouille Nya Bardouille is a holistic movement and massage practitioner from North London. Bardouille’s practice involves embodying self-nourishing behaviours and learning how to listen to the body’s intuitive and instinctual desires for self-given intimacy. The connection between mind, body and movement for Bardouille is enriched by touch - being able to share the gift of indulging in moving for comfort, craving and softness is how she encourages people to reconnect, heal and live in the homes that are our bodies.    Bardouille currently freelances as a Physical Support Advisor/Rehab Strength & Conditioning Coach for London Contemporary Dance School and the Centre for Advanced Training scheme at The Place, as well as practicing sports and deep tissue massage under the alias BODY LANGUAGE practice. Bardouille’s recent performance projects include US and EU tours with DJ Jamie xx, ‘Hang In There, Baby’ by John-William Watson and ‘Inside Outside’ music video for This Is The Kit.