Glasgow 2018 European Championships
For Festival 2018 – the cultural programme for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – YDance was commissioned to create Generation Dance in partnership with Scottish Ballet, and Tell Us Who We Are in partnership with the National Youth Choir of Scotland, National Youth Orchestras of Scotland and Scottish Youth Theatre.
Generation Dance Festival (2018)
The Generation Dance Festival 2018 was a performance of four exciting works from four different groups; Scottish Ballet Elders Company, a group of four dancers from Turin and Nuremberg, the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland, and the Generation Dance Company.
The Generation Dance Company was specially created for the festival and brought together young and older dancers to create a new work, Letters to My Shadow, choreographed by Anna Kenrick and directed by Philippa Clark. The core cast were joined by community performers aged 14-21 and over 60 from the Reflections Dance Companies from Glasgow, Stirling, Perth and Kinross, and Edinburgh, showcasing the strength of youth and community dance in Scotland.
The Generation Dance Festival and the Reflections Dance Companies were a partner project between YDance and Scottish Ballet and supported by Festival 2018, the cultural programme for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships. Reflections was also partnered with Macrobert Arts Centre, Edinburgh City Council, and Perth and Kinross Council.
Tell Us Who We Are (2018)
Commissioned for Festival 2018 – the cultural programme for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships – Tell Us Who We Are was the first collaboration between YDance, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, Scottish Youth Theatre and the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland. Written by Gary McNair, directed by Mary McCluskey, choreographed by Anna Kenrick, with music by Claire McCue, Tell Us Who We Are featured performance, dance and new music. The young cast were joined by a forty-strong choir and community cast to inhabit the iconic space of the Old Fruitmarket venue. Working with arts professionals, the collective developed the piece to reflect, represent and celebrate the voice of young people today.
