Over the past thirteen years, the Unanimous platform has continued to expand and help young people from the ages of 12-24 years to get together in a professional theatre, develop skills, share their experience and form new connections. This year we were delighted to be joined at The MAC Belfast for the first time by Mannin Youth Dance Company from the Isle of Man and the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland again performed as part of their touring schedule. Then, alongside two groups from DU Dance NI’s Youth Engagement Programmes; Sutemos Youth Dance and Belfast Boys, Unanimous also welcomed Claire Novaes Dance (Moira), Dublin Youth Dance Company, FYI Dance Club (Wicklow), High Points Youth Ballet (Belfast) and Laois Youth Dance Ensemble (Juniors and Seniors).
It was a fantastic evening compèred with great energy and professionalism by the Youth Steering Group. As with previous Unanimous showcase event, audiences enjoyed a great variety of powerful performances and feedback was really positive:
‘Brilliant, really diverse showcase and really passionate dancers’
‘It was a very inspiration event and the variety of dance styles plus the variety of groups was amazing!’
‘Fantastic and full of energy, very much enjoyed and can’t wait for next year. Watching all the dancers develop has been an honour.
Unanimous brings together some of the best youth dance groups in a non-competitive event. The diversity of the line-up for Unanimous always serves to reaffirm DU Dance (NI)’s commitment to fostering dance talent and providing a supportive professional environment for dancers of all backgrounds. When asked why the feel youth dance is important, this audience member summed it up perfectly:
‘It gives young people a place to belong, and be allowed to be themselves and voice their opinions and feelings. It teaches young people to connect with their body and build physical intelligence, a skill which allows them to have agency over their own body, how they hold themselves in their day to day life, and how they cope with difficult situations. Youth dance encourages teamwork and collective thinking.’
