Project Y

Preview by Christine Lawler | 22 Jul 2014

Scottish Youth Dance company, YDance, present Project Y as part of their talent strand. In its ninth year, Project Y is designed as a 4-week programme for 12 to 21 year olds who are interested in dance, giving them a taste of what a dancer’s lifestyle is like.

This year, guest choreographers Colin Connor and Lina Limosan collaborate with artistic director Anna Kenrick, who has a strong background in all things dance, to create the pieces for this year’s Project Y programme. Since its conception, Project Y has created a variety of projects specifically targeted at young people from all across Scotland. In 2008 Project Y set up Under the Same Sky, which involved weekly dance sessions for refugees, asylum seekers and friends to explore a variety of dance styles. Inclusivity of groups that may otherwise feel excluded is something that can only benefit the city as a whole and will surely have a positive impact on those involved. 

The Scottish Government Health Department (SGHD) funded the Dance in Schools initiative (2005-2008) aiming to boost self esteem and get young people active while also providing teachers with the skills and resources to continue it. SGHD also funded Free to Dance from 2008-2012 which enabled Project Y to offer free dance sessions and opportunities to take their dancing further to girls across Ayrshire, Glasgow and Orkney. This is the kind of thinking that laid the groundwork for this year's Get Scotland Dancing, aiming to get more Scots dancing for health reasons, and for fun.

The Project Y performances in Glasgow, Stirling, and Aberdeen follow YDance’s Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival, which celebrated the diversity of the Commonwealth by bringing together its 53 nation-states through energetic, vibrant dance.

Platform, Easterhouse, Glasgow, Thu 31 Jul, 7.30pm Macrobert, Stirling, Fri 1 Aug, 7.30pm Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Arts Centre & Theatre Aberdeen, Sat 2 Aug, 7.30pm http://ydance.org/talent/51d3e1bed3e1c51736000041