U.Dance
U.Dance North East Regional Platform 2026
Join us for an exciting celebration of youth dance from across the North East. The U.Dance North East Regional Platform showcases the creativity, energy, and diversity of young dancers in our region, spanning a wide range of dance styles and backgrounds.
Event: U.Dance North East Regional Platform
Date: Sunday 15 March 2026
Venue: Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4BR
What is U.Dance?
U.Dance is a national programme of events offering high quality dance opportunities to young people, presented by One Dance UK. Each year, our nation’s young dancers can explore their creativity, learn more about dance careers, and experience the thrill and sense of achievement of performing!
One Dance UK and partner organisations are working to present an exciting dance festival programme for young people aged 11 to 19 (and disabled young people up to the age of 25) in 2026.
U.Dance 2026, at Regional Platform and National Festival level, offers an incredible opportunity to be part of showcases demonstrating the breadth of youth dance choreography and performance, and where possible will offer workshops and industry insight with leading dance professionals.
One Dance UK and partner organisations aim to present youth dance that is high quality, innovative and ambitious. We want applications to best reflect the commitment and creativity of your work. Groups from a variety of settings are welcome to take part, including:
• School and college groups
• Youth dance companies
• Private dance schools
• Individuals
Between February and April 2026, exciting U.Dance events will take place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Collectively these are referred to as ‘U.Dance Regional Platforms.’ The U.Dance Regional Platform for the North East of England will take place on the 15 March at Dance City.
Apply to take part
We welcome applications from soloists and groups based in the North East, featuring dancers aged 11–19 years, and up to 25 years for dancers with disabilities or long-term health conditions.
Whether you are part of a school, community group, private dance school, or working independently, if you love to dance, we want to hear from you.
We invite performances across all dance styles including commercial, street, contemporary, South Asian, ballet, jazz, dance of the African Diaspora, folk, and more. U.Dance North East celebrates every form of youth dance and wishes to encourage a diverse range of dance styles.
Key Dates
Please be aware that you must be able to attend both the Regional Platform and the National Festival to apply.
- Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 30 January 2026
- Applicants notified: Friday 13 February 2026
- Group and technical information due: Friday 27 February 2026
- U.Dance North East Regional Platform: Sunday 15 March 2026
- U.Dance National Festival will take place in Glasgow 3 – 5 July 2026
For more information, please read the U.Dance Application Pack:
The Application Process
If you are interested in applying for U.Dance, you can register your interest by completing this form:
Please note, for the full application you will be asked to:
- Send video footage of your piece, either via a link on the application form or via email using WeTransfer.
- Provide evidence of Chaperone Licenses (or proof of application) for your group (you will need one chaperone per 10 young people).
- Provide further information about the dance piece you are entering, including number of dancers (30 maximum) and length of piece (7 minutes maximum)
- Provide further information about group members, including age of dancers (Pieces must only include dancers who are aged 11 to 19 years, or up to and including age 25 for disabled dancers, on 31 July 2026).
The deadline for full application and video footage submissions is the 30 January 2026.
If you have any questions about the application process, you might find the answers in our frequently asked questions document here: