Talented Project Y dancers have X factor
Some of Scotland’s top young dancers will be in Stirling this weekend.
The Project Y tour visits the Macrobert Arts Centre at Stirling University on Saturday, August 5 with a host of talented youngsters having taken part in an intensive dance programme over the summer.
YDance, the national dance organisation for children and young people in Scotland, established Project Y in 2006 as the only intensive contemporary dance and performance programme of its kind for 16 to 21 year olds in Scotland.
Each year up to 25 exceptional young dancers are selected from a rigorous audition process to form the Project Y Company.
The company spends four weeks over the summer working with four different choreographers to create new dance works which are then toured to venues across Scotland.
Part of the appeal of Project Y to both participants and audience members is the diversity of the programme. Each choreographer has different methods of creating material based on diverse themes. Variety is at the heart of the project, ensuring participants get a breadth of experience during the four weeks and audiences experience a varied programme of outstanding performances.
Many of the young performers study dance full time at training colleges in Scotland and England, and younger participants are still at school but have a keen interest in pursuing dance as a career.
This year’s participants are from as far afield as Worthing in West Sussex.
The Leverhulme Trust provide bursaries for the dancers to attend Project Y funded by the Leverhulme Arts Scholarships Grant.
Stirling dancer Catriona O’Connor, one of those taking part in the show, said: “In the future I’d like to be a choreographer or performer and I think Project Y will help as it shows you how different choreographers work with their dancers to create new pieces in a short time scale.
“It also gives you a really good idea of what it’s like to go on tour.”
Carolyn Lappin, executive director of YDance added: “2017 sees the 12th annual Project Y summer programme for young contemporary dancers