Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy: In all, there is an energy of how gravity pulls you in, how you’d pull people in. Hip hop, it wants you. It requires the individual’s background. It’s totally inclusive as an art form.

Dexter: NYDC – as a company is; different personalities, there’s different styles of dance, different humours.

Zak: I think something that makes the company is everyone’s kind of support towards each other. I think dance – for me – it lets me pour my emotions into it. So, if there’s like an angry section, I can put all my anger into it. If there’s a sad section and if I’m feeling down, that helps me kind of funnel my emotions, which helps me just as like a person.

Sheldon: There’s a lot of activities – maybe – that will be so pent up on rules and such and I feel like dance is; it’s very free, it’s very like do what you want. Or at least that’s how I take it. And I’m able to do exactly what I want, I can dance how I want, it allows me to just be free.

Dexter: I really struggled in school, and my way of kind of releasing it, like Zac said, is to dance through it. Nothing that I’ve enjoyed as much as dancing, I think that’s my thing; I’m fixated on it and I can’t stop doing it.

Lara: I think there’s been a real blend of Boy Blue values that we have and what we have as individuals on the artistic team, as well as being under the umbrella of the company that we’re with and then what’s important to NYDC and how many of them relate. And a lot of it is to do with nurturing and supporting each other and everyone’s growth as an artist. I know even the first time I met you, Nya, and to see where you are now, I think that’s just affirmation for everyone to be like, there’s so much space for growth if you give yourself the chance.

Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy: When we started Boy Blue, we were young people ourselves.

Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante: There was no institution that was interested in what we’re doing. There was no spaces that cared about the idea of our piece of artistic expression, and it’s maintained and continued to be a driving force in what we do. If you want to see something happen for the future, where do you have to place the energy? If you want something to be kept, looked after, grow. You have to start with that seed, and that’s the most important thing about working with young people, and the reason why the work has to always be there, and the energy has to be there is because we want to maintain, we want to improve, we want to make sure things are robust and solid for the future.

Blake: I’m looking forward to bringing something that I’m so proud of, especially to our hometown. To be honest, I didn’t think that I would ever be able to do something like this.

Orson: It says, “this is what I’ve got”. And I get to show my friends, my family and everyone in Blackpool, that this is who I am.

Blake: It’s also a big message to say, this is what we can do as youth artists in England and as dancers – if we are treated seriously, given the resources and we have the energy put into us, we can put it back out there.

All cast:

Community.

Dedication.

United.

Visibility.

Frantic.

Opportunity.

Passion.

Home.

Growth.

Loving.

Determination.

Perseverance.

Unique.

Community.

Family.

Opportunity.

Warmth.

Belonging.

Home.

Passion.

Driven.

Expression.

Harmony.

Soul.

Powerful.

Unity.

Elevate.

Fight.

Growth.

Compassion.

Family.

Community.

Nathaniel:

When I dance, I feel liberated, I feel happy, I feel blessed.

Iona: I think it’s quite moving, to be able to show what I feel inside in a physical form, for others to interpret in their own way.

Nya: I never really felt like I fit in anywhere else, so dance was like: “oh these are my people”. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with me, it’s just that I wasn’t in the right place for my talents. For my mind to be – I don’t know – I guess celebrated. Because I’ve not felt celebrated in, for example, school and different environments. Whereas dance really champions those people who are a little bit different or a little bit quirky and stuff like that; which is nice.

Lara: Love that.

Nya: I feel like I’ve learnt a lot from you, especially, like, I feel you just know yourself really well, you know what you want. You’re very powerful in the space, and it’s really nice to see a female in leadership because that’s something I want to do. So I see someone that looks like me, and I’m like; maybe I can do that.

Megan: I’ve learnt that not everything happens immediately, and how to give myself grace when I go wrong, and that it is okay to go wrong.

Iona: I feel like everyone has changed as people as well as dancers. They’ve become stronger in themselves, they’ve learnt what they need to do in certain situations, how they hold themselves.

Francis: I enjoy being with this residency because I get like loads of like, NYDC family around me and I feel comfortable with it, and just enjoy the life with the dancing.

Sara: It’s challenging because we get pushed really hard in rehearsal, and it’s long hours, but I think – like Frankie said – because we’ve got everyone together, it’s good vibes.

Marshall: Yeah, it’s always good vibes. So this residency, you can see the growth in everyone. So yeah, it’s nice. We’re a family now.

Dylan: Being able to look at the time frame from where I was at the beginning of this journey and at the end, and then look at things like all the skills and resources that I gained from this experience. We’ve already learned so much, and it’s changed my perspective in so many things in dance, and in life.

Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy: For me, looking at how the young people were moving together, and connecting and integrating with each other. There is this definite gravitational pull. This is about them moving into a new space that, when they come out of this program, they should be the ones pushing to be able to create work themselves.