YDance (Scotland’s National Youth Dance Agency) has brought together twenty two of Scotland’s best young dancers for Project Y 2008 and the Company are in residence at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow from Monday 7 July. Over the following four weeks they will be working closely with guest choreographers and dance specialists on new pieces for a short Scottish tour which includes performances at Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (Glasgow), the Brunton Theatre (Musselburgh), Eden Court (Inverness) and as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival at The Lemon Tree (Aberdeen).


Andy Howitt said:

‘I am delighted that we are able to run Project Y for the third year running. It is a unique opportunity for the young dancers involved and gives them a real sense of what it is like to be part of a professional dance company. All twenty two of our young dancers share a commitment and love of dance and I am really looking forward to seeing what they can do.’


During Project Y 2008 the participants will work with four top class contemporary dance choreographers - Andy Howitt (Artistic Director, YDance), Anna Kenrick (Project Director, YDance), Alan Greig (Artistic Director, X Factor Dance Company) and Duncan Macfarland. Each choreographer brings their unique style and way of working to the project and by the end of the four weeks will have created a new work for the Company. Oxymoron (Andy Howitt) takes a journey through the extremes of opposites, Freefall (Anna Kenrick) explores how holding onto emotions, people or memories alters how we live in the present and impacts on who we are, Eye of the Beholder (Alan Greig) is a high energy creation which combines physicality with humour and New Work (Duncan McFarland) is a fast paced fusion of contemporary dance styles.


Andy continued:

‘Over the past year we have been able to expand the Project Y experience out with the summer period offering our young dancers the opportunity to work with dance companies from Marseille and Linkoping, Sweden. They have also been involved on a joint project with Scottish Youth Theatre and the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland.’


Project Y are performing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama on Wednesday 30 July, the Brunton Theatre on Thursday 31 July, Eden Court on Friday 1 August and The Lemon Tree on Saturday 2 August. For further information on any of these performances visit http://www.ydance.org.