About Us
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Bridport Youth Dance The aims of Bridport Youth Dance are • To provide exciting and innovative creative/performance opportunities in a safe, supportive, caring and educational environment • To nurture young talent and provide creative platforms for them. |
• To encourage the youngsters to value themselves and appreciate the value of dance as a tool for well being.
• To inspire young people to fulfil and unlock their full creative potential and to develop confidence.
• To allow first hand experience and access to high quality performance opportunities with professional artists in a professional setting.
• To support and celebrate excellence through high quality participatory practice that will contribute to the artistic, social and cultural development of the individual and the local community.
• Taking dance out into local rural and coastal landscapes.
• Promoting positive mental and emotional health for all its participants.
• To champion inter-generational dance.
• To encourage more boys to dance.
• To promote a healthy dance ecology in West Dorset and make the arts more widely accessible.
BYD supporting emerging and young artists.
Thanks to continued support from Dorset Council's Youth Development Fund we have been supporting a number of young artists in lead roles including co - choreographers, performing, cinematography, art/set making, design, composition and admin. The emerging artists programme continues to mentor young people interested in entering dance education and helps them forge future career pathways in the dance world. Many are able to develop their teaching skills as assistant teachers and leaders within the company.
A History of BYD & Nikki Northover
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Nikki started to dance aged two years old at the local dance school - Bernard Gale School of Dancing. Her passion for dance and the arts grew throughout her childhood and was nurtured throughout her growing up.
Nikki has now been working in the performance and dance education industry for over thirty years. She is a promoter and great supporter of the arts and in particular dance to children and young people in West Dorset who may struggle with rural isolation. Following her studies in dance and dance education at Roehampton and Surrey University Nikki worked both in London and her hometown as a dancer, teacher, enabler, choreographer and creative producer. Alongside working within London dance schools Nikki maintained her roots in order to provide valuable artistic opportunities to children in a more rural setting.
In 1994 she established Summerthing Children's Art Festival which brought artists from across the UK and from all cultures in a celebration of the arts. This project had a significant impact on many children who later went on to forge careers of their own in music, art and dance.
Nikki established Bridport Youth Dance in 2001. Throughout this time BYD has offered an after school programme in contemporary, tap, specific boys classes – has established the successful Bridport Boys Dance programme and most recently an urban programme. Nikki has always worked hard to ensure that classes are affordable and has established a scholarship scheme offering subsidies to talented children and young dancers from families on a lower income. The boys programme comprised of specific classes for boys only which saw a surge in boys dancing in Bridport.
Pre pandemic Nikki ran an after school dance programme, a summer school - Summer Dance Scene led by artists from Matthew Bourne's New Adventures company and choreographers including Mark Bruce. She also holds an annual high quality production... next year is BYDs ( as the school is fondly known) 21st production.
In response to the pandemic Nikki relaunched with an outdoor programme – ART AND DANCE IN THE LANDscape initiative - which runs alongside the BYD dance development programme and includes site specific work - Choreography Geography - and The Dance Weavers films.
Emerging from lock downs Nikki continued to provide creative and performance opportunities for the young dancers. They danced in gardens with live music, on beaches and created short films The Dance Weavers. The first DW film - Emerging included a score by award winning composer Andrew Dickson ( Mike Leigh's films - Secrets and Lies, Naked, Vera Drake and High Hopes). The second film The Dance Weavers – Freedom/Connection was premièred at The British Film Institute as a part of the U Dance national dance platform. Both films were selected to represent South West England. Freedom/Connection and From The Boards To The Earth were also short listed for The Exeter Dance Film Festival. The most recent film was Dancing with Darkness - and gives a short glimpse of last years site specific performance at St. Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury - a fusion of dance, movement, puppetry, music, nature and land.
Nikki has never given up in her commitment and dedication to dance and to celebrating the young people of Dorset. Past students have become theatre directors, dance teachers, dance academics and have even joined the circus. In recent years BYD's graduates have gained places at London Contemporary Dance School, Northern School Of Contemporary Dance, London College of Dance, Italia Conti, Circomedia and London Studio Centre. BYD has become a pathway which opens up future careers in dance for children and young people who live in a small rural town. Her London students included BBC young dancer of the year Nafisa Baba together with Danny Collins Wright who later played Dr. Jekyll in Drew McOnie's acclaimed Jekyll and Hyde production.
As a response to the pandemic Nikki had a new vision and relaunched with the creation of an outdoor dance programme. This marks the beginning of a new journey of exploring dance in the environment and celebrates not only the young people but the beautiful countryside of Dorset. Her work has created an incredible legacy as she continues to inspire, encourage and empower local young people; sharing her passion for dance. This year celebrates the 23rd anniversary of Bridport Youth Dance and Nikki's 33rd year of teaching.
Nikki has earned a glowing reputation promoting dance in Dorset, in particular tap and is passionate about dance and encouraging creative learning in children and young people. She aims to inspire in her students a love of learning and of dance that will last a lifetime; encouraging them to find in life what makes their heart sing.
Bridport Youth Dance has been described as a beacon of excellence - a company that is leading the way for youth dance in the area with exciting, dynamic and innovative work.
Alongside her work with children and young adults Nikki is now running dance, movement, therapy classes for older adults ( ages 45 to 85 years) as a part of an adults dance well being programme. This year Choreography Geography will also be intergenerational and will feature a local dance company - Fingerprint dance ( a group of mature adults aged 50 - 70 years) working alongside the dancers from the BYD contemporary programme .
https://fingerprintdance.co.uk/
Bridport Youth Dance Funders.
BYD's ART and DANCE in the LANDscape initiative Choreography Geography 2024 is supported by:
Dorset National Landscape
Dorset Community Foundation
Bridport Town Council
Groves Nurseries
Bridport Charities
Carpetworld
Battens solicitors charitable trust
BYD education programme is supported by:
The Walbridge Trust, Bridport Town Council,
Dorset Council - Youth Development Fund
BYD teachers
Claire Benson - Contemporary dance teacher and choreographer
https://www.clairebenson.me.uk/dance-artist
Charlotte Fernandes- Head of Urban Dance
After training professionally at Laine Theatre Arts and Wilkes Academy Charlotte has gone on to teach and work as a professional dancer full-time. From pantomimes across the country to corporate events for companies such as National Rail and Mercedes her professional work has been and continues to be varied. She is also a current member of Boy Blue Entertainment in London. Charlotte is a 2x world champion dancer and SDI GB Champion choreographer with experience choreographing teams from regional to national levels as well as show pieces. She delivers weekly, foundation and choreographic classes with 6 years of teaching experience from beginner to advanced level.
My aim for all classes is to make them informational and engaging but also fun.
