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There’s a huge energy to the National Youth Dance Company. Aged from 16 to 23, and trained in different styles, these 41 dancers come together to create a unified company. In Sharon Eyal’s Used To Be Blonde, they move with a mix of catwalk chic and shared intensity.
Started in 2013, the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) finds 30 new dancers each year for a programme of workshops and residencies. The chosen dancers work with the associate companies of the London venue Sadler’s Wells. There’s a new guest artistic direct each year, too, creating a new work tailored to push and show off these dancers. A majority of NYDC dancers have gone on to professional training; some are now dancing with companies such as BalletBoyz and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures.
Sharon Eyal, this year’s artistic director, is an Israeli choreographer with a growing international profile, both with her own company L-E-V and in works made for other troupes. In Used To Be Blonde, she draws on her young cast’s verve while giving them a glossy professional polish.
Before the performance, video interviews highlight the diversity of the company – from different parts of the UK, with backgrounds from Indian classical dance to hip hop. Charming and funny, the young people express awe at each other’s skills. On stage, there are flashes of varied styles, channelled into a collective force.
Dressed in shiny black unitards, with slicked-back hair and bright red lipstick, the dancers shuffle and stamp together. The pulse of Ori Lichtik’s club score twitches through them, bodies pumping in angular poses. They’ll dip into deep pliés or stalk in groups, hips thrust forwards. Hands clasp or point, heads tilt and shoulders pop. There’s still room for touches of individuality. Soloist Alex Thirkle keeps his glasses on – something you hardly ever see in the dance world – even as he twists and coils.
NYDC is designed to give opportunity to its dancers, but it’s also a great canvas for choreographers: a chance to work on a large scale, with a big cast of eager performers. The combination makes Used To Be Blonde by far the most interesting work I’ve seen by Eyal. Throughout, there’s a sense that this horde of dancers are choosing to pour themselves into the collective endeavour, bringing fresh momentum to her club style.
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