Youth Dance companies, groups and/or individuals working in any dance style are invited to apply to participate in U.Dance 2026: London Regional Platform at Trinity Laban. Whether that be Hip-Hop/Street, Jazz, Ballet, South Asian dance styles, Contemporary or Folk dance, U.Dance is for everyone!

You can apply for either of the following options:

• Dance on Stage: Create and submit a dance piece made for performance on stage, for consideration in the ‘U.Dance on Stage’ strand, with a maximum of 30 dancers

OR

• Dance on Screen: Create and submit a screen dance piece for consideration in the ‘U.Dance on Screen’ strand, with no upper limit on dancer numbers

The following eligibility criteria apply:

• Pieces must only include dancers who are aged 11 to 19 years (or up to and including age 25 for disabled dancers) on 31 July 2026
• Final dance pieces selected for the London Regional Platform (for either stage or screen) must be between 2 and 7 minutes in duration
• Groups/individuals must be based in London

As a fully inclusive platform, we also strongly encourage applications from young people with disabilities and underrepresented groups.

Applications open: Fri 31 Oct – Mon 1 Dec 2025 

Step 1: Read the U.Dance Application Pack 2026 and the  U.Dance Music Licensing Best Practise Guidance (for on screen entries) before submitting an application.

Step 2: Complete the online application form by Mon 1 Dec 2025.

Step 3: Send a video of the dance piece to be performed on stage or screen, to youthprogramme@trinitylaban.ac.uk.

When sending your video footage:

• We recommend using a password protected Vimeo, Youtube or We Transfer link.
• Please ensure the correct download permissions are in place so we can access it easily.
• Please note, the dance piece does not have to be complete at this stage of the application process but should give a strong indication of what the final dance piece will look like.

Application forms and videos must be submitted from Fri 31 Oct – Mon 1 Dec 2025.  Application forms and videos submitted before or after these dates cannot be considered.

A panel of independent Dance Artists working across dance styles select approximately 10 Youth Dance pieces for performance at the London Regional Dance Platform. 

Groups are shortlisted based on the following criteria: 

• Demonstrate excellence in performance 

• Present excellent and engaging choreography* 

• Show dancers taking clear ownership of the choreography, which is appropriate for their age and experience* 

• Demonstrate respect and consideration to all (demonstrated through both the group’s conduct and the appropriateness of performance content). 

*A note on choreography: Excellent work selected for the U.Dance National Festival in previous years has been created by group leaders, teachers, young people, professional choreographers and any number of collaborations. There is no preferred ‘type’ of choreographer and no weighting in the selection process is given to who created the piece 

Groups will be notified if they are successful for the U.Dance 2026: London Regional Platform before the Winter break. 

Successful applicants for U.Dance 2026: London Regional Platform join us for a day of dance on Sun 22 Feb 2026 at the Laban Building, including: 

• dance workshops with professional dance artists
• a technical rehearsal (U.Dance on Stage groups)
• a dress rehearsal (U.Dance on Stage groups)
• an evening performance, including pieces for U.Dance on Stage and on Screen (U.Dance on Screen groups are invited to watch the performance)
• lunch and dinner breaks throughout the day (participants are to provide their own food)

Successful groups will receive a detailed schedule for the day. 

Tickets for the evening performance on Sun 22 Feb will be available to purchase via our What’s On page. 

Selected groups are expected to promote the evening performance and share information with participating families, to ensure a full and supportive audience for the young dancers. 

If you have any questions about applying for the U.Dance 2026: London Regional Platform, please contact the team at youthprogramme@trinitylaban.ac.uk. 

For further information about U.Dance 2026 please visit One Dance UK.