TWO aspiring young dancers from Penarth and Barry are set to gain vital experience as part of a National Dance Company Wales Summer Dance Course.

The week-long course in August will prepare them both for the rigours of professional dance training.

Barry girl Olivia Fleur Miles, aged 17, who is currently a young Associate with the National Dance Company, and Rebeka Thompson, aged 16, from Penarth, got through a competitive application process to join 18 other young dancers from across Wales and England to attend the week long course; redeveloped to offer participants deeper level engagement into the process of creating and performing work, as well as physical and mental maintenance involved in the world of the professional dancer.

Taking place at the Company’s home, the Dance House at Wales Millennium Centre from August 4-8, the week long course has been crafted to offer an intensive and rigorous artist-development opportunity for young dancers aged 16-21 years in full time professional training, or intending to audition for training imminently.

The course marks an expansion in NDCWales commitment to the development and nurturing of dance talent in Wales, offering its resources at the Dance House to provide an unprecedented opportunity for young people to experience and benefit from direct access to the Company’s resources and professional dancers. The course fully conveys NDCWales’ commitment to developing and enhancing the future of dance in Wales, as well as Wales’ standing on the future international dance scene.

Course leader and current member of the Company’s Interim Artistic Team Lee Johnston said "For these participants to be able to immerse themselves in a professional dance environment, learning directly from all the company dancers and interacting with them in their daily work is a rare and valuable experience - this year's Summer Dance Course, in its new format, signals our passion and commitment to sharing the joy and value of dance, and inspiring the next generation of welsh dance artists”

Featuring a daily class led by Natalie, the course offers a demanding in-depth overview and study of the world of professional contemporary dance, working on some of NDCWales’ most choreographically challenging and complex pieces, as well as providing access to all nine of the Company’s professional dancers delivered through classes, specific individually led sessions, Q&A’s and rare access to Company rehearsals.