Neath College Dance Reinforces Its Reputation for Excellence at Summer Showcase Performance.
Neath College has long set the standard for dance within the further education sector offering a range of specialist academic and vocational dance courses, that provide expert tuition for any young dancer who hopes to one day ‘make-it’ as a dance professional.
For the past 25 years, dance students from Neath College have not only been achieving top grades on results day, but have also been winning places to train higher at dedicated dance conservatories and universities such as; London Contemporary Dance School, Trinity Laban, The Urdang Academy, London Studio Centre, The Addict Academy, The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and Performers College.
This year the official dance company for the College known as ‘LIFT Youth Dance Company’, performed in its 21st year at the Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea, and the platform not only highlighted sector leading excellence, but also impressed a whole host of dance industry professionals too.
Craig Coombs, is the Subject Leader for Dance, and has lectured at the College for over 20 years. He commented that:
“All dance students at Neath College have one thing in common, and that’s potential. Each and every one of them understands that in order to fully achieve their goals, working collaboratively with their lecturers will help them stive towards building a future in the dance industry.”
Mr. Coombs, who trained at the prestigious Laban, Europe’s leading conservatoire for contemporary dance in London, continued:
“LIFT Youth Dance Company, along with Neath College Youth Dance are sharing the stage in this year’s showcase. The dance work on stage demonstrates the emerging dance talent of the students, but it goes one step further, because it also provides a platform for the College’s dance lecturers to present their own choreographed work, as dance artists in their own right.”
The evening of dance featured work from the College’s GCSE, A Level and vocational dance students, who had auditioned to be part of the performance earlier in the year. There was one featured dance works choreographed by dance student Maisie Davies and four more created by College’s dance lecturers; Daniella Powell, Elise Addiscott and Craig Coombs.
In addition to this was an extended work created for Neath College Youth Dance entitled ‘Pobl Y Ddraig’ which was centred around Wales’ mythology and folklore, building upon the College’s mission to promote the use of Welsh language and culture as part of the curriculum.
Sian Rowlands, who is the Engagement Artist for National Dance Company Wales worked with Neath College Youth Dance earlier in the year and remarked:
“At NDCWales, we really enjoy working with Neath College who have previously taken part in our LAUNCH Youth Dance Platform. For younger performers taking part and those watching the show, Neath College demonstrated a clear progression pathway to those who might not know where to take their dancing next. Their work showed great strength and technicality as well as a clear embodiment of the musical score. The dancers all showed great professionalism and were excellent role models for younger dancers. On a personal level, it was a joy to see so many committed and dedicated dancers taking their dancing to a higher level of study.”
Dance at Neath College has always offered ‘more than just an education’, it offers all its young dancers a real chance to take the subject seriously, so that one day, they too might be the ones leading the way for dance across Wales and beyond.
Jamie Jenkins, who is head of dance for National Youth Dance Wales has worked with the College for many years and has commented:
“LIFT Youth Dance Company is a fantastic opportunity for young, aspiring dancers to challenge and stretch themselves both creatively and technically under the guidance of an exceptional team of creatives. The team and College’s commitment to nurturing talent and artistic growth is truly inspiring. Attending a LIFT performance is always a highlight of my calendar, showcasing the passion, dedication, and excellence of the next generation of dance artists.”
The legacy of the dance courses’ success at Neath College is now held within the alumni students, who have gone onto work professionally on a whole host of projects. Linzi Rumph, who was a dancer for LIFT Youth Dance Company in its very first year and is now the Development Officer for Artis Community, shared her thoughts on the evening:
“The performance was fantastic, showcasing an exceptional level of talent, creativity and technical skill from the dancers. As a former student of Neath College, I am incredibly proud to see how these courses have grown and developed over the years. Providing students with the opportunity to create, develop and present their own work is invaluable, giving them a platform to build confidence and experience as emerging artists.”
Of course, Neath College is now looking to the future with many plans in the pipeline for both LIFT Youth Dance Company and Neath College Youth Dance. Next academic year has much in store for the dance students including a brand-new Christmas dance production, a specialist educational visit to the London dance scene, performances at Swansea’s Dance Festival and another opportunity for students to perform with Ransack Dance Company, directed by Sarah Rogers, who had the following to offer after the company’s last collaboration with the College:
“It was a pleasure to work with the dance students at Neath College on a project that saw them rehearse and perform a flash mob as part of our 2024 touring professional production. The students demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment throughout the process, both in the studio and on stage, performing alongside our professional dancers at the Taliesin Arts Centre. Their performance in the flashmob was excellent, and the support provided by the college staff was invaluable. We look forward to returning next year to collaborate with a new cohort of students as they create a curtain-raiser for our performance in Llanelli.”
It is clear to everyone that when it comes to dance education, Neath College has everything a young dancer would ever want. Rhian Jones, who is the Arts Development Manager for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council attended the performance praising:
“Thank you so much for putting on such a brilliant evening of dance, it was very impressive…The performance was a joy to watch. The creativity of the choreography and the confidence of the dancers on stage really stood out, showcasing the depth of talent being nurtured at the college.”
Finally, Natalie Hulatt the current dance student representative, who performed in the showcase has commented on her experience, stating that:
“Being part of the LIFT production was an incredibly rewarding experience that allowed us to develop not only as dancers, but also as young artists. Taking part in the production gave us the opportunity to challenge ourselves creatively, collaborate with our peers, and grow together as performers. The production showcased everyone’s creativity, dedication, and professionalism and I am proud to have been part of a production that demonstrated the potential of the next generation of dancers.
For more information on the range of dance courses on offer across the College’s 14-19 educational courses, click the button below or contact craig.coombs@nptcgroup.ac.uk.
