• Shawbrook Youth Dance (SYD)
• Up to 20 seniors and 20 junior dancers work to towards a performance in the Longford DanceFest at Backstage Theatre, a flash mob performance in Longford town square, St Patrick's Parade, Beech party and other music festivals around the country and abroad. They receive classes in ballet, jazz, aerial and contemporary dance, workshops with visiting professional dance companies and outings to dance theatre performances. They have been going to "Move it" in London for 3 years visitng places like The Royal Opera House, Peacock Theatre, Sadlers Wells Theatre. They have danced in all the Youth Dance festivals, and music festivals in Ireland, UK and USA. They have been invited to represent Ireland at the Internationa Youth Arts Festival In Aberdeen

Auditions SYD 2012 
Anica's group seniors and juniors Saturday 12th November 2011 11am to 2pm
Chantal's group juniors Saturday 10th December 2011-- 11am to 1pm
Kristina's group seniors Saturday 17th December 2011--11am to 2pm

For application forms contact shawbrook@gmail.com 

SYD with Anica's group starts Saturday 19th  November 2011.
On 17th February 2012 weekend residential workshops for senior dancers starts with Kristina Sorenson. We are really looking forward to this distinguished dancer/performer's residency. Kristina trained at London Contemporary and London Drama centre in Classical Acting. She has toured a lot with Jo Stromgren Kompani.
The junior company will work with Chantal McCormick from the Fidget Feet aerial dance company from Saturday 18th February 2012

SHAWBROOK YOUTH DANCE
This company is based in Shawbrook  Co Longford and funded by the Arts Council.
It is now 11 years old.  
We differ from other youth dance companies, because our students are classically trained, but do creative pieces that encompass all dance styles within their technical reach.  Our success is also due to the fact that it is a residential course and student’s train in classical ballet, jazz, aerial, contemporary dance, improvisation, contact, and choreography.

The company is for teenage dance students, who are creative, love to dance, and will commit themselves to this project.  It is also for dance students who seriously want to pursue a career in dance and are working towards their auditions for third level dance education.

We have proved that with the dance education we are offering (between 8 and 10 hours training every weekend for 10 weekends) the students audition successfully for overseas third level dance courses.

The standard that is expected for SYD is RAD Grade 6, 7, 8, & Intermediate plus.

The students will learn how to be part of the process of creating an innovative dance piece.  They will get the opportunity to work with professional choreographers, dancers and technicians.

We expect the senior students to arrive for class on Friday evenings when it is residential, and leave on Saturday after class.  Students will be supervised in the dorm but must respect our rules and regulations.

We expect our members to take part in all extra workshops, performances from visiting professional companies, The Irish National Dance Awards, the Longford Dance Festival and the Beech Party.

In 2006 the students took part in the opening festival show  “Wired and Free” by Fidget Feet.  They went to see their patron Michael Keegan Dolan’s “Flowerbed”.  They had numerous master classes for example: Cathy Sharpe, Fiona Chadwick, Sonia Rafferty, Eric Carpenter and IMDT.  They performed “Protected” by Becky Reilly and Lisa McLouglin at the Backstage Theatre.  The members also won lots of the prizes including the senior cup at the Irish National Dance Awards.  Previous members’ now training full time overseas won prizes at INDA.
During 2011 they have already had a masterclass with Emma O'Kane winner of "Best Dancer" in European Dance. She wil also perform with Muirne Bloomer their award winning piece Ballet Russe.

SYD Members in rehearsal for Pearly Beech a new performance piece by Anica Louw. Feburary 2011.
(photo Jym Daly)
 Pearly B has been devised into a full 40 minute piece. The newly launched SYD Touring Company, 10 members, will tour this piece and any festival interested please contact Anica.

Choreographers that have worked with SYD

Simon Rice
Rebecca Walter

Lisa McLoughlin

Becky Reilly

Jessica and Megan Kennedy

Olwyn Grindley

Anica Louw
Liz Roche
Chantal McCormick
Lee Clayden
Kristina Sorenson

SYD at Shawbrook 2011

 Fridays

5.00 A1
6.00 Grade 8
7.00 AF
8.00 Kristina Sorenson "Dots and drops"
 and Anica Louw "MRI"

Saturdays:
9am Pearly Beach
9.20 Flashmob

9.30 to 2.00pm Kristina, Dots and Drops
9.30 to 1.00pm Anica, Chasing Dragons

Shawbrook is delighted to have Kristina working at Shawbrook with SYD and performing at Longford Dancefest  29th  April 2011

SYD members dancing in the market squares of Longford  and Mullingar in March 2009
In 2010, they performed at Move It in London, Longford Dancefest, Beech Party, Birr Youth Dance Festival, Dun Laoghaire Youth Dance Festival, St Patrick's Parade ( winning the over all  pageant prize), the World Culture Parade, Move It, opening of the new rehearsal studio in Backstage Theatre, The Flash mob in Longford Town Square with 200 other dancers, Electric Picnic and The Burning Man!!!! 

The only way I can feel personally successful as a dance educator, is if I can see a real link between dance education and professional dance . . .  Read More