MAKING MOVES PROVES THAT WHEN YOUNG ARTISTS ARE TRUSTED, SUPPORTED AND CHALLENGED, THERE IS NO LIMIT TO WHAT THEY CAN MAKE

By Madeleine Anderson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Sadler’s Wells’ Making Moves is one of the clearest demonstrations of why youth arts provision matters. At a time when 84% of schools no longer offer GCSE dance, this annual National Platform offers urgent and compelling evidence of the difference accessible arts education can make.

Bringing together a shortlist of eight youth dance companies from across England, each guided over the past year by digital choreographic toolkits created by Richard Alston, Ivan Michael Blackstock, Thick & Tight and Fin Walker, the evening celebrates not choreographic excellence and the confidence and community that can be built when young people are given the resources to create.

A short film introducing the process at the start of the evening emphasised the project’s collaborative ethos, particularly the principle of ‘each one teach one’. This approach stands out through all the performances, where technical accomplishment is consistently matched by generosity, trust and collective purpose between dancers. Every company arrives on the Sadler’s Wells East stage with remarkable assurance. Rather than presenting polished imitations of professional dance, these are works with distinct artistic identities and something important to say.

The standout performance comes from Phoenix Youth Academy Seniors from Leeds. If This Line Were a Curve combines tightly structured choreography with moments of thrilling freedom, creating a constantly shifting dialogue between control and release. Sharp, rhythmic breathing becomes an integral choreographic device, generating an atmosphere of tension that spreads through the ensemble before being released with force towards the audience. The interplay of duets, trios and larger group sections allows individual dancers to demonstrate their technical strengths and share an impressive emotional intensity.

Another exceptional work was Blowhard by Gosforth Civic Theatre Youth Dance Company from Newcastle, performed by a group of autistic dancers. Opening with a brilliantly observed and genuinely hilarious impersonation of Donald Trump, the piece quickly establishes itself as something far richer than satire.

Confronting misinformation surrounding autism, including Trump’s infamous comments linking autism to Tylenol, it balances humour with justified anger. A boxing sequence between the blustering Trump figure and a resilient autistic opponent becomes an especially powerful metaphor for resistance. Throughout, the sophisticated choreography ensures that each performer’s personality shines through, making for a work that is confident, uncompromising and deeply human.

The remaining companies, Burnley College Dance, Eden Youth Dance Company, High Storrs Dance Company, MK Dance Theatre, Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy and Prelude Youth Dance Company, each bring their own distinctive voice to a programme of striking consistency.

Across all eight performances, there is swagger, professionalism and an infectious belief in the power of movement to connect people beyond the individual. More importantly, it demonstrates why access to the arts cannot be treated as an optional extra. It is fundamental to building communities, nurturing identity and ensuring the next generation has a platform from which to be seen and heard.

YFX 2026: Making Moves National Platform was performed at Sadler’s Wells East on Wednesday 15 July.

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Photo Credit: Jack Thomson