The National Youth Dance Company of Scotland
Formed by YDance in 2011, the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland is the flagship contemporary dance company for Scotland’s young dancers aged 16–21.
APPLICATIONS FOR 2026/27 ARE NOW OPEN!
If you would like to set up taster sessions in your area, email dylan@ydance.org
For its 15th year, NYDCS alumni member, Charlotte McLean will work with the NYDCS 26/27 company.
Each year, beginning in October, a company of 12 dancers, will work with Charlotte, in a series of intensive weekends once a month to explore and create a new piece of contemporary dance for performance and touring to theatres, festivals and events. NYDCS tours across Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally. To date, the company has travelled to Australia, France, Belgium, Ireland, Estonia and throughout the UK, performing in theatres including Sadler’s Wells and at prominent events like U.Dance and the Australian Youth Dance Festival.
In 2026/2027, the company will create a new work for stage performances to tour the UK. The piece will premiere at The Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, as part of Destinations 2027, followed by a tour of high-profile performances, including the Unanimous Festival in Belfast, U.Dance in England and the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as other exciting performing opportunities throughout the year (funding dependant).
The work of the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland aims to change the perceptions of what youth dance is and can be. The pieces showcase the dancers’ movement language, individuality, and thought processes to create a unique new work.
If you are thinking of pursuing dance as a career, there is no other experience quite like NYDCS!
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The National Youth Dance Company of Scotland enables its members to:
Tour and perform nationally and internationally at a range of events and festivals
Develop personal technical and creative dance skills
Develop an understanding of who they are as a performer
Develop as individuals on a personal and professional level
Gain industry experience
Make connections with likeminded, motivated, talented young dancers
Meet and work with guest international, UK and Scottish artists and teachers
Take part in exchanges with international and UK youth dance companies
Be an ambassador for dance, YDance and Scotland
Develop fundraising and leadership skills
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To become a member of the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland you must:
Be aged between 16 and 21
Be from, or living in Scotland from September 2024 to August 2025
Be driven and dedicated with a desire to develop as a dancer and creator
Be able to commit to all rehearsal and performance dates detailed in the guidance document
You DO NOT need to be in full-time training to take part in NYDCS.
Please note that professional dancers who have graduated are NOT eligible to take part. If you are unsure whether you qualify, contact YDance on 0141 552 7712 or email info@ydance.org.
YDance aims to be a welcoming organisation, inclusive of young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, life experiences and dance styles. We welcome applications from young dancers with and without disabilities and can provide additional support wherever possible.
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There is no membership fee for being part of the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland. Each dancer is expected to fundraise £250 before January 30th 2027 and there will be advice and support given from YDance to help with this.
Rehearsals - Dancers MUST attend all rehearsals. Dancers must pay for their own travel and accommodation if needed for rehearsal dates. Each month the rehearsals will be in either Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh or Dundee.
Performances - YDance will arrange and pay for transport and accommodation or re-imburse dancer’s travel expenses (second class rail fares or equivalent). Company members must be able to attend all performances.
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Audition Day:
Saturday 19th September 2026 - Glasgow, 1-5pm
Creation weekends:
Sat 3rd / Sunday 4th October 2026
Sat 7th / Sunday 8th November 2026
Sat 5th / Sunday 6th December
Sat 9th / Sunday 10th Jan 2027
Sat 13 / Sun 14th / Mon 15th February 2027
Sat 6 / Sun 7th March 2027
Performances
19th / 20th March 2027 – Inverness
3rd April – Unanimous Festival, Belfast
July – U.Dance, England
August – Fringe Festival, Edinburgh
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Applications for 2025/26 are now closed.
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If you would like the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland to perform at your next event, please email Lauren@ydance.org or call 0141 552 7712.
Meet Charlotte, our new choreographer
Charlotte Mclean is a transdisciplinary artist, choreographer, performer, and educator whose practice explores anti-capitalist, cyclical ways of working through movement, voice, and collaboration. A graduate of London Contemporary Dance School and recipient of the 2025 Arts Foundation Dance Fellowship, her choreographic practice draws from tradition having competed in Scottish Highland Dance throughout her childhood. She is currently undergoing a year-long anthropological research project 'my body is my home' to continue to imagine Highland Dance as a living, evolving practice capable of holding multiple bodies, stories, and futures.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to learn so much about yourself as a person and as a dancer. You get to meet so many people and have life-long experiences as one company whilst watching your hard work come to reality on stage”
Aoife Henderson, NYDCS 22/23
