HOSTED: Featuring the U,Dance South East Regional Platform 2024

Thank you for joining us at HOSTED by PENNY & JULES DANCE, which brings together the brightest youth dance talent from the South East region. 

HOSTED celebrates the future of dance by giving schools, colleges and youth dance companies a platform to shine in a professional space. 

This year’s event features the U.Dance South East Regional Platform 2024 and we’re delighted to partner with South East Dance and One Dance UK. 

We hope you enjoy the performance!

Lisa (‘Penny’) & Kate (‘Jules’) 

HOSTED logo

In this evening's showcase:

Nuclear Dance Company - Recollection

(Berkshire)

What if your best and worst memories were placed right in front of you. How would you react? Would you run, hide, embrace, fixate, cry or smile? This piece explores the dancers’ memories, both positive and negative. If you could go back, would you do things differently?

Dancers

Flynn
Oscar 
Aston 
Morgan 
Daniel 
Jacob 
Harry 
Charlie

Two dancers carry out a lift in a black and white photograph
Nuclear Dance Company

Natraj Dance Acadamy - Dhamar

(Berkshire)

Taal Dhamar consists of fourteen beats (or Matras) and is generally played on the Pakhawaj, known for its energetic and powerful bols. Dhamar has a very reserved nature and dignified character. Because the syllabus of the theka is the bole of pakhavaj their sound is heavy and their mood is dignified. The Dhamar Music and composition is by Padma Bhushan and Pt. Birju Maharaj Ji. Sitar is played by Chandrachur and Tabla Anirudh.   

 

Dancers

Burde
Gupta
Jayarajan
Jha
Kakar
Malik
Mehta
Raj
Saswade
Sreelam
Ilakshi

A photo of Natraj Dance dancing in a community hall. Nine people are dressed in traditional South East Asian dress.Three are kneeling on the floor and the rest are standing behind them
Natraj Dance

Varndean College Dance - GAZELLE (and all other animals for that matter)

(East Sussex)

Conversations about the stereotypes placed upon these young women was the starting point for this work, discovering that many had been told ‘You’re not in the salon now’ when creatively thinking, problem solving, reflecting. Discussions evolved to comparisons of how animals instinctively and freely move; shaking to release emotion, making noise. The group have worked to break down barriers so that they too can move their bodies instinctively, pull faces, sweat unashamedly and explore what it means to be human and therefore animal. The movement material came from exploring and imitating animals in the studio and celebrating the strength within the different physicalities.

Dancers

Phoebe
Jasmine
Phoebe
Emily
Ava
Rosa
Lucy
Emily
Edie
Alex
Lula
Grace
Lillie
Hannah

A black and white photo of Varndean College Dance dancing. A group of young people kneel and stand on stage dressed in formal wear. They are waving their hands above them
Varndean College Dance

New Ground - Through the Eyes of the Beholder

(West Sussex)

New Ground have worked with ideas stemming from the Greek Myth Narcissus. Narcissus is a self-absorbed character who falls in love with his own reflection, this vanity leads to his death. We have taken this theme and developed it to reflect our experiences in society today. It can be so easy to become absorbed in our own image, lose site of what matters to us and forget to live in the moment. We have worked collaboratively to create movement based on the stereotypes of ‘beauty’, society’s pressure to confirm and embracing that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Dancers

Freya
Immy
Esme
Ella
Alice
Grace
Aimee
Martha
Issy
Daisy
Ellie
Heather
Bella
Matilda

An image of New Ground. Four teenage girls pose on a stage, the one furthest on the left standing and the one furthest on the right crouching while two other crouch down to make a descending line. They are wearing grey dresses. They are on a dark stage floor with a white curtain behind them.
New Ground

Magpie Dance - Kingdom (Film)

(Kent)

Created with artists from Akram Khan Company, our Adult, Youth and Junior dancers explore the movements of animals from across the globe in multiple habitats. We begin in the sea, move on to land and finish flying mid-air.

Featuring dancers from Magpie Dance's Adult, Youth and Junior sessions.

Film editor: Annie Walsh

Dancers

Magpie Dance Easter School

A photo of elephants in a field with illustrations of two children overlaid in white, plus a graphic of film, and the Magpie Dance logo also overlaid in white
Magpie Dance

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls - DANCE.

(Kent)

This piece is all about celebrating iconic music over the last few decades, starting with the 90s and travelling through to the 2000s to create a fun party vibe for every generation to enjoy. The piece starts with The Real Slim Shady by Eminem, this gives a strong start to the routine by grabbing the audience's attention with sharp choreography performed by the whole team. This then contrasts with the following routine which has smooth, satisfying dynamics to show the variety of performance abilities. Moments within the dance are highlighted by challenging flips and tricks performed by numerous able dancers.  

Dancers

Phoebe
Zahra
Lola 
Sophie 
Daisy 
Isabella 
Jessica 
Maggie 
Saira 
Eve 
Charlotte
Obehi 
Francesca 
Eleanor 
Poppy 
Isabel
Olivia-May
Lois

A picture Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Dance Group. Five teenage people dance on stage dressed in black and white clothes. They are standing on a black stage and are in front of a black wall.
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

MKDT Youth Company - Cortex

(Buckinghamshire )

Cortex delves into human decision-making, personifying the Id, Ego, and Superego within the brain.

Dancers embody synaptic connections, communicating as one organ. Blending Contemporary, Neoclassical Ballet, and hip-hop-related styles capture the ongoing negotiation between instincts, rationale, and morality.  

The performance invites reflection on the complexity of shaping choices and collective consciousness's unifying power.

Dancers

Scarlett
Amy
Matilda
Taya
Charlie
Emily
Anna-Maria
Harry

A picture of two MKDT Youth Company dancers. They are both two young people. The person in front, wearing beige trousers and a dark tank top, stands on one leg with their arm pointing towards the ceiling, while the person behind them, wearing white trousers and a white top supports them around the hips.
MKDT Youth Company

iSTAR Academy - Pack

(West Sussex) 

Humans tend to herd spontaneously with their group. Specifically, we found that even during a simple virtual social interaction, people are inclined to spontaneously synchronize their movement direction with their group members.

Pack animals hunt, travel, and eat in groups. Pack animals have leaders of the pack to whom others defer. This aptly describes humans. We congregate. We live, eat, and travel in groups. We choose leaders, choose our friends and family and ultimately choose our pack. Watching, learning, copying and trusting the pack.

Dancers

Bella
Tilly
Cherry
Jasmine
Lara
Lily
Chloe
Flora
Laura
Grace
Zoe
Amelie
Jassy
Sofia
Elisabeth
Ella
Anna
Martha
Emilie

A photo showing the iSTAR dance group. 19 teenage girls wear black tops and red trousers. They are standing and sitting on a grey floor with a white curtain behind them
iSTAR

Project Female - W0M3N

(East Sussex)

W0M3N explores the idea around women empowerment. Through movement, this work explores the feeling of power and strength vs vulnerability and sensibility. It is a subtle reminder to see the power within us and believe in our own self.

Dancers

Mae
Jessica
Rosa
Rose
Amali
Nell
Peggy
Alexis
Ivy
Maggie

Teenage girls dance on stage with their hands behind their head. They are wearing trousers and tops in various colours of blue grey and white. They are in a studio with a light behind them.
Project Female

Aarohi - Devi

(Buckinghamshire)

'Devi' explores the different roles women take in society. A neoclassical Kathak piece, it explores these themes through different aspects of this dance form.

Aarohi is Pagrav Dance Company's youth dance company. Pagrav Dance Company’s vision is for “authentic Kathak at the heart of contemporary British culture."

Dancers

Anya
Raani
Vibha
Mahika

An image featuring members of Aarohi - Pagrav Dance Company. Two dancers in traditional dress dance with one hand held in front of them and one hand held in front of them. They are dancing on a dark stage with a dark backdrop.
Aarohi - Pagrav Dance Company

PJYD - MODE

(East Sussex)

Fast, frantic, always in 'GO' mode. This piece explores the frenetic pace of our lives and minds, and our battle to stay in the present. 

Dancers

Maggie
Clementine
Liberty
Ella
Matilda
Charlotte
Claudia
Nellie
Harriet
Isla
Imogen

Teenage girls dance on stage in various poses.They are dressed in beige trousers and dark long sleeved tops. They are on a dark stage with a spotlight on them and the background is dark.
PJYD

Thanks

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all dancers, group leaders, teachers, choreographers, filmmakers, supporters, partners and everyone who makes this event happen.

HOSTED and U.Dance South East Regional Platform 2024 is a partnership event between PENNY & JULES DANCE, South East Dance and One Dance UK. Generously supported by Arts Council England. South East Dance is proud to be an Arts Award Supporter and Artsmark Partner.

Penny and Jules Dance Logo in black and white. There are big letters in the background - P J D, and
One Dance UK
Logo for the U.Dance Regional Platform
Arts Award logo - blue and grey on white
Artsmark logo - black on white