Emma makes the French Connection
A young Paisley dancer is working on her French Connection as she prepares to jet out to Marseille.
Emma Murphy, 17, will visit the port in Southern France at the end of this month as part of the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland (NYDCS).
This is the flagship contemporary dance company for Scotland’s exceptional young dancers and Emma will take part in a collaboration with French dance company Group Grenade led by Josette Baïz.
She was selected by YDance ( Scottish Youth Dance) after a rigorous audition process that saw 50 of Scotland’s most talented young dancers apply for one of 12 spaces.
The trip has been funded by Glasgow City Council Twinning Office and will see the two dance companies spend a week together creating a new piece of work, which will be performed as part of a triple bill at KLAP House for Dance in Marseille on Tuesday, April 9.
NYDCS will also perform their own piece of work For Those Who Wait, choreographed by YDance artistic director Anna Kenrick.
Emma said: “I could not be more excited about my trip to Marseille as this is a way to form new connections with people from across the world.
“I think I’m going to learn so much about not only the dance side of things, but about the lifestyle of a French dancer and I am looking forward to seeing how their training differentiates from ours.”
Company members have the opportunity to perform work both nationally and internationally at a number of high-profile events and festivals.
Previous performances have included Apex Rising at Sadler’s Wells in London, the Dance Bridges Festival in India, the Danspunt Festival in Belgium, the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival, the Merchant City Festival in Glasgow and the U.Dance Festival in London, Nottingham, Salford, Birmingham and Leeds.
This year will see the company travel to Melbourne, Australia, in July to take part in a collaboration and performance with Origins Dance Company, as well as perform at the Australian Youth Dance Festival.
Ms Kenrick said: “Finding opportunities for the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland to perform internationally is an important part of their programme.
“Not only does it show other parts of the world the dance talent Scotland has and the quality of the youth dance sector, it exposes the dancers to range of teachers, techniques and styles of work and develops them as a dancer, creator and artist.
“These exchange programmes also teach them about being a global citizen and connects them with young people across the world who have the same passions and motivations. In these challenging social times this element is extremely important.”