U.Dance South East Regional Platform: Dancin' Oxford Spring Festival 2026 Online Programme

Dancin’ Oxford, Pegasus Theatre and South East Dance present an exciting evening of dance from groups, duets and soloists from across the south east region as part of One Dance UK’s U.Dance Regional Platform programme taking place across the UK this spring. 

A number of pieces from the regional platforms will be selected for One Dance UK’s U.Dance National Festival, which will be held in Glasgow in July.


This year’s U.Dance South East Regional Platform is part of Dancin’ Oxford Spring Festival 2026, a city-wide celebration of dance in Oxford, running from Friday 27 February to Wednesday 18 March. Dancin’ Oxford celebrates 20 years in 2026. They work with a range of partners to present high quality work, engage diverse audiences, nurture artists through producing & commissioning and off er exciting opportunities to engage in dance at grass roots level within local communities.

Feel the Beat 2

Hope unfolding

Based in: West Sussex
Title of dance piece: Waves to grieve, believe, achieve
Choreographer: Grace Thompson
Music: 2CELLOS – Now We Are Free, from Gladiator, Hans Zimmer

About the piece

This contemporary ballet piece, incorporating elements of BSL (British Sign Language), explores strength, resilience, and disabled joy. It challenges expectations and celebrates the freedom to exist authentically, doing the unexpected with intention and agency. The work offers a tender yet uncompromising discourse on disabled experience—illuminating loneliness, community, support, and the beauty that emerges through struggle. It reaches beyond the individual to imagine future possibilities shaped by collective care.   
 


About the artist

Grace uses her lived experience as a disabled young performer to inspire others to challenge assumptions and pursue what seems impossible. Through performance, advocacy, teaching and facilitation, she promotes inclusive, accessible creative spaces and continue developing her skills across dance, physical theatre, choreography, harp and visual arts.

Ceyda Tanc Youth Dance

Based in: East Sussex
Title of dance piece: ÖZLEM 
Choreographer: Ceyda Tanc
Music: ÖZLEM, by Gabby Sanders


About the piece

ÖZLEM draws inspiration from traditional Turkish folk dance, reimagined through contemporary dance movement and the voices of young performers. 
Developed in close collaboration with the musical score, the piece places rhythm at its core, exploring connection, community and shared expression as the movement and music evolve together.


About the group

Ceyda Tanc Youth Dance is a company for talented young dancers aged 15–19. The company work closely alongside CTD's professional company, and they train and create work in Ceyda Tanc's distinctive style fusing contemporary with traditional Turkish folk dance. 


 

A group of dancers dance in union on stage. They are dimly lit and there is smoke above them
Ceya Tanc Youth Dance by Ellie Kurttz

Florence and Lexi

Based in: East Sussex
Title of dance piece: Ends of the Earth
Choreographer: Agnes Fenwick of Agnes M Dance
Music: Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron

About the piece

This is a lyrical acro routine performed to a song about adventure and friendship and journeying through a world filled with both beauty and danger. The duet symbolizes commitment to one another and experiencing life to its fullest together.  


About the duet

Florence and Lexi train at the Agnes M Dance school. They have been dancing for three years, and this is their first duet.

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Based in: Kent
Title of dance piece: G-Fix Commercial
Choreographers: Jessica Colwell and Narita Thursby
Music: Up remix -  Cardi B, Big Michael - Stormzy, Touch the sky - Kayne West, Upgrade you - Beyonce, Lights On - Katy B, Ms Dynamite, Ante Up Remix - MOP

About the piece

This piece is about showing the importance of music and dance and how they are an outlet for many people. We use songs over the last few decades which incorporate different styles of commercial dance.


About the group

This is the audition only competition team from Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. This is a student led team who rehearse at lunchtimes and are thrilled to have a place in the U.Dance South East Regional Platform 2026!

A group of dancers wearing white trousers with a black stripe down the leg and black t-shirts fill the stage in rows. They all have their knees bend, facing the front and their palms flat out to the sudience
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Feel the Beat

Based in: Buckinghamshire
Title of dance piece: JugalBandi
Choreographer: Karthick Muruganantham
Music: Malhari, AR Rahman


About the piece

This performance takes inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of India and its vibrant film industry. The choreography fuses elements of Indian dance styles with the energetic and expressive movements of Bollywood, Kollywood and Tollywood dance. 

The performance features a variety of dance forms including Indo-Contemporary, Indo-Western, and Kuthu-folk. The dances are accompanied by a mix of traditional and folk music tracks, creating a mesmerizing and unforgettable experience.

 

About the group

Feel the Beat, a community-focused Indian dance company based in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. They offer a wide range of dance styles, from high-energy Bollywood to western, indo-jazz, regional folk and more. They believe that the joy of dance is the greatest reward.

A group of young dancers in traditional dress stand together, one dancer on another's shoulders. Their outfits are bright orange and gold
Jumpstart Feel The Beat

Harshita Kompella

Based in: Berkshire
Title of dance piece: Shambhu Natanam
Choreographer: Choreography by Acharya Anitha Guha. Learnt from Guru Saathvika Shankar
Music: Shambhu Natanam in Gowla ragam was composed by Sage Patanjali.
Music and choreography by Acharya Anitha Guha.

 

About the piece

Shambhu Natanam is a powerful Sanskrit hymn dedicated to the cosmic dance of Lord Nataraja (Shiva). The title literally translates to the "Dance of Shambhu" (Shiva, the Source of Bliss). It describes the Ananda Tandavam (Dance of Bliss) performed at Chidambaram (a famous temple in India dedicated to dance). The hymn is highly popular in Indian classical music and dance for its rhythmic complexity and vibrant energy. It is typically set to Khanda Nadai (a five-beat rhythmic cycle), which mimics the vigorous pace of Shiva's dance.


About the soloist

Harshita has been learning Bharatnatyam for 6 years and completed her ISTD grades with distinction. She has participated in prestigious Marghazi events in India and has secured Nataya Murali Award (indicates a high-level recognition of an artist's dedication, performance excellence). Harshita participated in Croydon Performing Dance Festival as second winner in the years 2024/2025.

A young dancer in traditional dress stands with her knees bend and palms together in front of her body. Her dress is red and gold
Harshita Kompella

TPD Young Artists

Based in: Oxfordshire
Title of dance piece: Weyward  
Choreographers: Amari Webb-Martin and Josiah Davey
Music: Weyard by Amari Webb-Martin and Josiah Davey


About the piece

Weyward exists in a world full of witchcraft, forest spirits, and gothic magic that emerge from cycles of rituals, collective movement, and shared energy. The dancers worked with Amari and Jos to develop characters embodied throughout the process, encouraging the dancers to draw on skillsets from acting/theatre enhancing their movement approaches to this work, shaping a mode of performance that invites the audience to be transported to the realm in which this work is from.


About the group

TPD Young Artists is the youth company of Thomas Page Dances based in Oxford at The Pegasus Theatre. Consisting of dancers aged 12-18 years old from around Oxfordshire, come together for weekly rehearsals to collaborate, create, and perform choreographic works under the umbrella of contemporary dance.