SWINDON DANCE - YOUTH DANCE ACADEMY
AN ADVANCED DANCE TRAINING SCHEME
FOR THE GIFTED AND
TALENTED YOUNG DANCER
May 06

Swindon Dance recently started working with the Department for Education & Skills (DfES) to develop a new form of provision for the gifted and talented young dancer.

This is a new dance training program for gifted and talented young people with exceptional potential in dance that gives access to excellence. The program is now half way through its `pilot year with planning for the regional development and year two of the core academy at Swindon Dance now under way.
The Academy
The scheme, titled the `Youth Dance Academy' is for 11-17 year olds, male and female regardless of background, dance style or experience. The program will focus on the individual's learning needs and area of giftedness in conjunction with their current dance provision, as well as bringing them together with other exceptionally gifted and mind-like dancers at Swindon Dance where they will work with national professionals from the dance world.

It will involve a commitment to working Saturday afternoons in Swindon for 6, 5 week terms during school time plus a number of short intensive courses. Maximum number of places available is 25.
The academy is part of the DfES advanced music and dance scheme and offers individual bursaries to those successful in gaining a place on the program, bursaries are means tested.

Because there is only 25 places available on the academy final entry will be by audition during July 2006 in Swindon.

This project is one of only four in the country and will focus on future potential not just current or past achievements.

The aim this year will be to keep the open days purely for information for students, parents and teachers. Space permitting we would like to invite both teachers and parents to observe the open day workshops that will involve a practical dance workshop, a question and answer session and information packs with application form and details of next stage if wishing to apply to audition for the academy.

After the session the Academy team will be free to discuss with the teachers any feed back related to spotting gifted and talented young dancers, especially those with possible potential and `raw' talent and any nominees that they would like to put forward for consideration for the academy.

Developing partnerships
This year the academy team will be aiming to work with local secondary dance teachers to develop more dance provision within the region and to reach more schools with the academy 'road-show'.

Further info from Shirley Ludford on tel 01793 612517 or mob 07951 366289.

The Commonweal School, A Performing Arts College held the first of a series of Open Dance Days on Monday 8th May. There are 12 venues though out the region where these days of dance open days take place. Three boys from Commonweal interested the Swindon dance selection scouts, they were James Northworthy, Yr 8, Sam Wearing and Chris Wilson, both Yr 7 at Commonweal). Students were selected by Sue Derrick, Head of Performing Arts at Commonweal

Commented James Northworthy, age 12, “The day was really good. I liked the Banxy workshop the best as it is different from the normal dance I see on TV. My mate Sam Wearing and I make up dances when we are at home, it’s a good way to relax, but I don’t know if I will follow a career in dance.”

Commented Chris Wilson, age 13, “I love dancing, I will probably go a long to the auditions to find out more, but I don’t know if I will make a career of it at this stage, I would like to see what opportunities come up.”

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