My Dance 2021 Panellists

Published on: Tuesday April 6, 2021

New for 2021, East meets West as DanceXchange, (Birmingham), comes together with Dance4 (Nottingham), to deliver MY (Midlands Youth) Dance Digital 2021, a celebration of youth dance across the whole of the Midlands region.

As part of the selection process, four panellists, two representing the East Midlands and two representing the West Midlands, we’re invited to lend their professional dance expertise and select the groups or individuals as part of MY Dance 2021 ahead of the U.Dance National Platform.

Samina Beckford (West Midlands)

Programme Co-ordinator at Dance Consortium

Dance superfan with a passion for youth dance. As a professionally trained contemporary dancer, I have had a varied portfolio career with experience of many dance roles on and off stage. In recent years I have worked within the creative learning department of 3 major midlands arts venues and lead youth dance programs with companies such as Far From the Norm, New Adventures and Zoonation. I am now coordinating a 3-year programme with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for young dancers in the UK. I’m honoured to be invited to be part of the panel and look forward to seeing some high quality and exciting new works.

Dylan Davies (West Midlands)

Dylan Davies is a student at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, aspiring to be a performer and choreographer. Raised in Shropshire, Dylan first started dance at the age of 9 with Boy’s dance project West Midlands. Grabbing Dylan’s interest here, he then went onto train at Insteps Dance Academy, CAT programme (DanceXchange), Hereford Sixth form college and 2 Faced Dance youth: practising in contemporary dance and ballet picking up influences from hip hop, street, and theatre practices along the way. After his training Dylan is looking to make work in contemporary dance theatre, making work about something as well as exploring how rich and honest movement can be.

Natifah White Photo By David Wilson Clarke — Photo By David Wilson Clarke

Natifah White (East Midlands)

Dance artist Natifah White, originally from Nottingham, is an ex Dance4 CAT student and a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School whose current choreography explores the lingering, longing and ephemeral effects of home in the body. As a continuation of her time in higher education, Natifah’s work currently relates to the ideas around archiving and how the body holds memory.

Stuart Goodwin (East Midlands)

Upon completion of his training at London Contemporary Dance School, Stuart danced in several international tours of Matthew Bourne’s ‘Swan Lake’ as part of his New Adventures company. He then shifted focus to more choreographic and teaching practices. He has worked at several London colleges including London Studio Centre, The Urdang Academy, Italia Conti, Tring Park School, Mountview, The Place and teaches regularly on the Dance East and Dance4 CAT programmes.

His choreographic work includes the Big Dance 2012 Olympic festival, recording artists, where in 2014 he choreographed Goldfrapp’s live cinema event, opera, Music videos and television commercials.