YDance & North Edinburgh Arts Centre present an exotic Christmas tale from down under
16 Nov 2006Olga the Brolga is a truly original Christmas story, capturing the magic of Aboriginal dreamtime. A riot of colour, dance and music - aimed specifically at young children - Olga will be spreading her wings at North Edinburgh Arts Centre from 28th November - 16th December 2006.
Olga the Brolga is in a terrible mood. She desperately wants to dance - but no one will dance with her. Her parents have other things to do, Ellie the crocodile doesn't feel like jumping around and Joanna Jacana only wants to sleep. As for Lilly the Long-neck, well, she's a bit grumpy too!
So Olga decides to dance by herself; and when she does, something absolutely wonderful happens...
Featuring an array of bizarre and interesting characters, a magical set, spectacular costumes and original music, 'Olga' is an intimate and interactive production, inspired by the book by award-winning author Rod Clement. Join us on our journey from the outback to paradise, boo at the evil willy willy, sing a long in the Club Tropicana and marvel at Olga's grace and beauty as she is swept into another world.
YDance Artistic Director Andy Howitt is delighted to be choreographing YDance's Christmas show.
"This is the first exciting collaboration from two of Scotland's leading arts organisations and it really is a treat for the senses. It's a fun, energetic whirlwind of a show which proves how accessible dance can be for people of all ages."
Tickets can be booked through NEAC on 0131 315 2151.
Choreographer: Andy Howitt
Dancers: Laurinda Croft, Alexander Gallacher, Zelie Jennings, Jo Meredith
Music: Dougie MacLean
Set/Costumes: Robin Peoples
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. A brolga is a native Australian cane, known for its elaborate dance.
2. In Dreamtime, Brolga was a young woman of extraordinary beauty, and a wonderful dacner, who was swept away by evil spirits but replaced by a graceful, dancing bird.
3. For more information please contact Teri Laing, Marketing Manager, YDance on 0141 552 7712. Back to top |
NATIONAL YOUTH DANCE COMPANY TO REPRESENT SCOTLAND'S BEST YOUNG TALENT
17 Mar 2006YDance is to establish a youth performance company and the search is now on for the best young dancers in Scotland.
Funded by the Scottish Arts Council, 'Project Y' will take place this summer and every consecutive summer. Top name choreographers will work with the 16-21 year olds for four weeks, before a final performance tours to main stage venues and festivals.
The initiative will bridge the gap between dancing with local dance schools/youth theatres and professional dance training, allowing a unique opportunity to develop dance styles and confidence whilst working with professionals in the field.
This year, participants will work with YDance Artistic Director Andy Howitt, plus guest choreographers Filip Van Huiffel (Retina Dance Company), Allan Irvine (Freshmess) and YDance tutors. Performances will take place at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling and Aberdeen International Youth Festival.
For Andy Howitt, Project Y is a dream come true.
"This is a really exciting chance for young dancers to come together and work with some of the best contemporary choreographers in Europe. We will be going to top notch venues and treating this as a professional production - the fact that it is a youth production does not detract from that.
We've been holding week-long summer schools across Scotland for years and this is the obvious progression for us - I'm glad we can open it up to everyone. I just wish I'd had the same opportunity when I started out."
Applications are now being accepted. Closing date for applications is 31st March. Back to top |
PUPILS DANCE TO A HEALTHIER TUNE
07 Feb 2006A £1.2 million scheme will offer inactive youngsters a fun and funky alternative to traditional exercise, whilst encouraging a generation to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Led by YDance and funded by the Scottish Executive Health Department, the Dance in Schools Initiative(DISI) will take 5-week dance blocks to every local authority in Scotland over the next three years. By using the latest music and an enthusiastic troupe of young male and female tutors, it is hoped the scheme will encourage youngsters to participate in regular exercise, particularly those who would normally opt out of PE such as teenage girls.
YDance's Education Director Katy McKeown hopes that street-dance, creative and contemporary dance workshops will help youngsters see physical activity in a new light.
Dance has an incredible power. It allows children to have fun, be creative and express themselves as well as having a huge impact on health and wellbeing and confidence levels. The physical health of many schoolchildren is appalling and I hope that these workshops will be a catalyst for Scottish kids to adopt a more active approach to exercise. A lot of kids don't want to play football or hockey so this is another option for them.
The move comes as the nation's growing obesity problem hits an all time high. Figures released by NHS Scotland last month revealed that a fifth of the country's three year olds are already over weight, with one in eight classed as clinically obese. The situation is even more serious among older children. More than a third of 12-year-olds are overweight and research shows that children prefer watching television, playing computer games and texting their friends on their mobiles rather than exercising.
Over 800 schools, 4,800 teachers and 144,000 children will benefit from YDance workshops, which are currently underway in Glasgow and Perth and Kinross. A large-scale research programme undertaken by the Child and Adolescent Health Unit, Edinburgh University
(also funded by the Health Department), will work alongside DISI, looking at the physical and psychological effects of dance on children and young people in Scotland.
The initiative also aims to train teachers to deliver dance in schools through in-service training and YDance is working closely through the SportScotland network of Active School Network to facilitate the best type of dance delivery for every area. YDance CD-ROMs AnyBodyCanDance and the BAFTA-nominated 321Go! (for 4-7 year olds) will be used throughout the period, ensuring teachers have the resources and support to carry on dancing long after the workshops and training have taken place.
The first round of the project has successfully taken place in Edinburgh, Inverclyde, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire. The project is currently in Glasgow & Dumfries & Galloway. YDance has recruited 12 new dance workers and a project administrator for the project.
ends
For more information or pictures please contact:
Teri Laing
Marketing Manager
Ladywell Centre
94 Duke Street
Glasgow G4 0UW Back to top |
