LIGHT NIGHT 2024 – UBX:SUCCESSION
Introducing UBX: SUCCESSION
UBX: SUCCESSION is the spectacular new dance and digital media performance experience, which has been created specifically for The Space at Nottingham Contemporary 2024.
Audiences were fully immersed in a state-of-the-art 360° digital landscape, watching the show standing around a centralised dance mat. The unique piece builds on the thematic content of TDC’s work over the past 6 years, exploring our humanity within a digital world and questioning the core essence of what it is to be human.
What is Light Night?
Light Night is a popular annual after-dark festival in Nottingham city, with immersive and interactive light-based installations and performances popping up across the city centre.
As a passionately digital and immersive dance company with an affinity for animated light and electronic music, we love performing at Light Night. The work we create for Light Night is always new– we work with young people to create completely new bespoke choreography for each performance.
Our Light Night performances provide a rare opportunity for young people to create work surrounded by incredible high production values and a large budget in an exclusive show, in front of a captivated audience.
“The choreographic skills for young people have been greatly advanced. The application of digital technology is embedded, the continuing innovation & artistic ambition is inspiring our young dancers. They are treated with so much respect; it provides them with unique artistic development. The work is increasingly inclusive as we strive to bring diverse groups together.” – Andy Dawson, Inspire
What makes this so special?
Urban Explorers is a celebration of youth creativity, inspiring ambition, providing valuable experiences for young people, and supporting progression routes into higher education and creative careers. Over the years, we have worked with over 20 different youth groups across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Find out more about Urban Explorers in this blog.
The Urban Explorers show will be immersive, spectacular and truly awe-inspiring. On Light Night we attract audiences who are seeking a memorable spectacle, and we deliver this in abundance. We proudly have a track record of inspiring over 40% of our first-time bookers to then attend our touring professional work.
Through introducing new audiences to global award-winning contemporary dance and unique digital technology, our work encourages engagement from people who don’t normally attend theatre and dance events.
“They pushed & challenged me, but in a totally respectful way. They taught me how to think out of the box. It was a really positive feeling to learn how to feel the music in a different way, how music is in your body –to be the music & let it flow through me in dance. I loved how we all worked as a team & came together for the final performance.” – UBX Participant
Introducing our Urban Explorers for 2024
We’re thrilled to announce that Tom Dale Company is joining forces with FOUR incredible youth groups across Nottingham this year! Meet our youth performers and find out a little more about them.
- Flying High Expressive ArtsCIC
Flying High Expressive Arts CIC is a not-for-profit company celebrating 25 years offering high quality workshops in drama, theatre, singing and dance. They focus on engaging and raising aspirations in the local community through expressive arts-based workshops, developing creative performers who wish to move into the industry at the highest level.
Their productions include National Theatre Connections plays, Edinburgh Festival Fringe performances, dance pieces created for Episodes, U Dance, MYdance and a dance exchange with a Youth Dance company in Berlin, plus in-house showcases annually.
“We are taking part in the Light Night project to broaden the experiences of dance for our young people, and give them the opportunity to work and perform with professionals.”
RESET Dance Co
RESET Dance Co are an exciting contemporary dance company based in Nottingham. The company was formed to inspire the next generation of dancers with the aspirations of promoting dance and the arts across Nottinghamshire, whilst providing excellent opportunities to young people. The company aims to provide accessible and relatable dance performance work and screendance to audiences of all ages.
“It is really important to us at RESET Dance Co that we are finding excellent performance opportunities for our young people to experience and be involved in, and are thrilled that their first ever performance as a group will be with TDC at Light Night. Since being involved in the project, we have already seen our numbers for the group increase. This is only the beginning of our exciting journey.”
The Dance Studios
Founded in 1997, The Dance Studios teach children and adult dance classes with dancing
schools in Nottingham and Oakham. Students have the opportunity to learn to dance in a wide variety of classes, including Tap, Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Limbering, attend exclusive workshops hosted at The Dance Studios by industry professionals, perform in our annual theatre show, take dance exams, compete in regional competitions and audition for local, national and international projects. The Dance Studios Nottingham opened in 1997, and now has 34 dance classes every week from their wonderful Hockley studios in Nottingham City Centre.
Redhill Academy
Redhill Academy nurtures individual talent and encourages academic achievement. In a culture where curiosity and high aspirations are encouraged, Redhill has a unique atmosphere where confidence thrives and anything seems possible. As a former Performing Arts College, they emphasise art, dance, drama, and music, with many students studying these subjects at GCSE and beyond. They also proudly offer extra-curricular activities, actively encouraging students to seize all enrichment opportunities.
This youth dance group has specifically come together for the Light Night performance, working with Karina Smith and Rachel Dunn at the school to help support and create the youth group. They have been working after-school to learn new techniques, build choreography and work towards the show.
The performances for Light Night 2024 were truly unforgettable and we want to thank all of the young people who took part.
What’s next for Urban Explorers?
The sky’s the limit for Urban Explorers, and we have plenty of exciting plans for the future of the project. We’re bold: we exist to inspire, take risks, and deliver new experiences. To stay in the loop with upcoming Urban Explorer plans, follow us on social media and sign up to our mailing list.