Dancers aged 14 to 18 are eligible to apply to be part of Youth Dance Makers Initiative, launched by Naarm/Melbourne based dance artist and educator Chelsea Byrne with support from The City of Stonnington.

A collaborative, interdisciplinary performance project, the Youth Dance Makers Initiative is calling on 15 young people to join in the one-week intensive project at The Skydeck in The Space Dance, Prahran. 

This program gives young people the opportunity to work with Chelsea Byrne and a small team of experienced artists, to create and perform a movement-based performance that reflects their perspective on global issues and the future they desire. 

Through a series of workshops and rehearsals, the Youth Dance Makers Initiative guides participants with professional artists from disciplines such as dance, theatre, sound, light and video art, to discover processes and approaches to performance making, create their own work and then perform it at the Arts Centre in Prahran in mid-late April.

“Unlike other dance school holiday programs, the focus is not on technique or learning someone else’s choreography, it’s on collaborating and creating. It aims to encourage self-expression, collaboration and discourse while building confidence and interpersonal skills. We want to empower young people to speak out, voice their concerns and frustrations about the current state of the world, and show them that their opinions and perspectives matter,” said founder Chelsea Byrne.

Youth Dance Makers Initiative will take place between 19-23 April, in the Easter school holidays. 

Cost: $90 for the week 

Where: The Skydeck at The Space Dance, Prahran. 

Apply now: www.youthdancemakers.com. 

The final performance will take place on the final course day, Saturday 23 April at The Arts Centre Prahran. 

Tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/BYBPC