The Children and Young People’s Dance Network North (CYPDNN) exists to connect artists, educators, and organisations, offering networking opportunities, coordinating professional development, and sharing dance activity across the North. By working together, we aim to ensure all children and young people have equal access to dance opportunities, regardless of where they live.
The aims of the network are:
We are also committed to supporting male-identifying participants, workforce development, and Continued Professional Development, while ensuring the voices of young people shape the work we do.
Thursday 20th March 2025 | Leeds West Academy
NSCD partnered with Company Chameleon and White Rose Academies Trust to deliver a vibrant and impactful day of dance at Leeds West Academy, focused on engaging male-identifying students in creative dance.
The day was structured around two parallel strands:
The day opened with an inspiring performance by male-identifying students from NSCD’s CertHE, BA and MA programmes, showcasing a range of short works across styles—contemporary repertory, hip hop and breaking, and lyrical narrative dance.
Workshops throughout the day were delivered by Company Chameleon’s experienced team (including Kevin Edward Turner MBE, Sam Broadbent and Kadafi Mulula) and freelance artist George Bishop, supported by NSCD’s Learning & Participation staff.
Both strands came together for a joint Q&A session with dancers from NSCD and Company Chameleon, followed by a final sharing where the boys and teachers presented the creative work developed during the day.
This event formed part of a wider programme led by NSCD and the Children & Young People’s Dance Network North (CYPDNN), developed in response to national consultation on increasing male participation in dance. The day reflected NSCD’s continued commitment to creating inclusive, inspiring learning opportunities that grow the next generation of dancers and creative thinkers.
Coalesce Dance Theatre | Threads
Showcase at Northern Dance Get Together January 2025
coalescedancetheatre.com/threads
Payal Ramchandani
Showcase at Northern Dance Get Together January 2025
payalramchandani.com
Primal Instincts Crew
Showcase at Northern Dance Get Together January 2024
instagram.com/primalinstincts_crew
Speedwell Dance Showcase
Northern Dance Get Together January 2024
speedwelldance.org.uk
NSCD’s partnership with Knotted Hawk Productions (a collaboration between The Knotted Project and Hawk Dance Theatre) who create dynamic, interactive stories through contemporary dance and physical theatre for children and young people across the North. Aligned with our ethos of work by, with, and for children and young people, NSCD supports the company through financial investment, mentoring, access to R&D audiences, and valuable feedback opportunities, as well as by facilitating professional networks to help the work grow and thrive.
Current Shows
The Quest for Planet P
2025 – 2026
knottedhawk.co.uk/the-quest-for-planet-p
The Greatest Robot Ever
2024 – 2026
knottedhawk.co.uk/the-greatest-robot-ever
Past Shows
Outside The Igloo
2019-2020
knottedhawk.co.uk/past-shows
NSCD’s partnership with Coalesce Dance Theatre supports the creation of high-quality, engaging dance and theatre work for children and young people. These partnerships align with our ethos of work by, with, and for CYP, and are supported through financial investment, mentoring, access to R&D audiences, structured feedback, and valuable networking opportunities—helping to develop meaningful, relevant work that speaks directly to young audiences.
Current Shows
Mika and The Polar Bear
2025 – 2026
coalescedancetheatre.com/mikaandthepolarbear
Past Shows
The Old Green Time Machine
2022 – 2023
coalescedancetheatre.com/the-old-green-time-machine
Threads (previously PANTS)
2023 – 2025
coalescedancetheatre.com/threads
NSCD partnered with Speedwell Dance to support the development of imaginative and immersive productions such as Thumbelina and The Mountain Witch, which combine contemporary dance and storytelling to captivate young audiences. These collaborations reflect our commitment to work by, with, and for children and young people, and are supported through financial and mentoring input, access to research and development audiences, structured feedback, and professional networking opportunities—enabling the creation of meaningful and accessible dance experiences for CYP.
Past Shows
Thumbelina
2023 – 2024
speedwelldance.org.uk/current/thumbelina
The Mountain Witch
2024 – 2025
speedwelldance.org.uk/current/tmw
NSCD works with New Art Club | Anatomical to develop engaging, accessible dance-theatre experiences that inspire children and families to connect with movement and creativity. Through joyful, interactive productions such as The Doodle Dance Show, Snowed In, and The Buildy Uppy Dance Show, the company plays a vital role in helping us grow family audiences and introduce contemporary dance to younger generations in a fun, inclusive way. By supporting Anatomical’s children’s work, we create opportunities for families to experience high-quality dance together, laying foundations for future engagement and audience development.
New Art Club | Anatomical
The Doodle Dance Show
2018
thedoodledanceshow.com
Snowed In
2024
Snowed In: Trailer
The Buildy Uppy Dance Show
2025
buildyuppydance.com
For more information visit: newartclub.org/anatomical
The Everybody Dance Festival in York is a vibrant celebration of movement, creativity and young voices. Open to primary and secondary schools, pre-vocational colleges and community dance groups, the festival provides a platform for young people to take to the stage, share the work they’ve created with teachers or dance artists, and experience performing in a supportive, celebratory environment.
The festival is proudly supported by the Children & Young People’s Dance Network North (CYPDNN). Through its regional connections, CYPDNN helps bring together schools, artists and organisations, offering vital networking opportunities, coordinating high-quality workshop delivery, and providing performance platforms that connect young dancers with the wider dance sector. Together, we are passionate about widening access to dance, celebrating diverse voices, and ensuring every young person has the chance to be part of something extraordinary.
For more information visit: everybodydancefestival.co.uk
Dance It Up North (Scarborough & Northallerton) CYPDNN is a partner within the York and North Yorkshire Dance Hub, along with other organisations, individuals and dance leaders. The hub work across North Yorkshire & York and utilise existing funding/raise new funding in order to plan and deliver dance events and projects. In partnership with York Dance Space each year we deliver several Dance It Up North events which are primarily for CYP (in and out of school groups). These take place in areas across North Yorkshire and York and offer opportunities for CYP to performance, take part in workshops and become an audience for small scale professional dance.
COLLIDE Boys Dance (Cottingham School East Riding of Yorkshire) / The Brave Project (Scarborough) – these projects took place in partnership and formed a part of our aspirations to work with others to encourage young male-identifying participants to get involved in dance/movement. At Cottingham High Schol in the East Riding of Yorkshire a group of year 9/10 boys took part in off timetable dance working with Hawk Dance Theatre and created a performance on film. They took their performance piece to perform at a youth dance showcase at Bridlington Spa Theatre. The Brave Project (Scarborough) offers exciting creative, physical workshops aimed at male identifying young people aged 14+. CYPDNN supported the company at its inception and local artists run the project which has impact locally. In their own words The Brave Project is about brotherhood, support and about finding what makes you happy, confident, empowered through physical workshops and also about creating performance work at events such as Scarborough Fringe.
For developments of the Collide Project please visit: nscd.ac.uk/take-part/projects-and-more/collide
NSCD supports a range of Get Together networking opportunities—both online and in-person—that bring the dance sector together to exchange ideas, share research, and shape the future of dance for children and young people. These gatherings, including events at The Lowry, Gateshead, and our conferences at NSCD in 2024 and 2025, offer vital space for discussion, performance, funding launches, and sector insight. Each session explores timely issues such as post-pandemic recovery, shifts in funding landscapes, and broader challenges facing the CYP dance sector—creating a dynamic platform for collaboration, innovation, and shared learning across the field.
Are you a dance professional working with children and young people? Join us! Whether you’re looking for networking opportunities, training, or ways to support young people’s dance, CYPDNN is here to help.
Contact us by email: cypdnn@nscd.ac.uk
Follow us on Instagram: @CYPDNN
CYPDNN is funded by NSCD as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) of Arts Council England, aligning with their ‘Let’s Create’ strategy to ensure dance is accessible, inclusive, and thriving for young people and their communities.
Let’s create a future where all children and young people have the chance to dance!
CYPDNN aligns with the priorities of Arts Council England, ensuring that the support offered is relevant and impactful within the context of their funding goals:
✔ Support people at all stages of their lives, to design, develop and increase their participations in high-quality creative activities
✔ Providing high-quality early years activities that reach families from a wider range of backgrounds
✔ Widening and improving opportunities for children and young people to take part in creative activities inside schools
✔ Widening and improving opportunities for children and young people to take part in creative activities outside school
✔ Developing and improving pathways towards careers in the cultural sector and creative industries
✔ Improving access to a full range of cultural opportunities wherever people live, including supporting touring and other forms of distribution
✔ Working collaboratively through place-based partnerships to support and involve communities in high-quality culture
✔ Working collaboratively through place-based partnerships to improve creative and cultural education for children and young people
✔ Work collaboratively through place-based partnerships to improve health and well being through creative and cultural activity
✔ Working collaboratively through place-based partnerships to build skills and capacity in the cultural sector and grow its economic impact
✔ Supporting new work, new approaches to existing work, new forms of cultural content and new ways of reaching new and existing audiences and participants
✔ Collaborating with other cultural organisations and/or with the commercial creative industries and/or with further and higher education to sustain and grow existing cultural infrastructure
