From 11 – 3pm on Friday 6 April, Leeds hosted 38 all-male dance performances with over 2000 audience members across 7 different city centre locations. The event also included 4 participatory workshops for young dancers run by NSCD, DAZL & Phoenix Dance Theatre.
Coordinated by NSCD’s Learning & Participation team with funding from Leeds Inspired, the city-wide event aimed to highlight the breadth of opportunities for male dancers in Leeds. Young men have been under-represented in community dance classes for too long and NSCD wanted to change this.
Performances took over 7 different city-centre locations on the day:
We were excited to welcome a diverse range of professional dance companies and community groups to perform:
After watching the event over 70% of our audience members who were surveyed said they would recommend dance classes to a male friend or family member.
100% of our surveyed audience would like more events like this to happen in Leeds City Centre.
"This event was a unique opportunity to see other boys across the City engage with dance and show their energy and dedication to the art form. Watching the performers, we could sense their excitement and pride in having the opportunity to share with the public their unique skillset - what they do so well in the studio came to life in the City and in turn, a legacy in boys' dance made its mark." Northern Ballet
"A fantastic event which brought together the thriving Leeds dance community and which celebrated the wealth of accessible dance opportunities for young men to get involved in! A wonderful opportunity for Company Chameleon to help to inspire the next generation of young male dancers." Company Chameleon
Made in Leeds TV reported on the event. Watch the interview with NSCD’s Learning & Participation Manager below.
