MoveUP™ — develop your creative voice as a young choreographer

About MoveUp.

MoveUP is for young people aged 14–25 who are ready to do more than dance — they want to make it. This is TeesDance's young choreographers programme: a supported, ambitious space to develop your own creative practice, make original work, and connect to opportunities on a national stage. Free to join. No prior choreographic experience needed.

What you’ll do.

MoveUP gives you time, space and expert support to develop as a choreographer. You'll work with professional dance artists, explore your own creative ideas, and develop work that's genuinely yours.

The programme includes creative development workshops, mentoring from professional artists, and the opportunity to present work publicly. We'll also connect you to national programmes including One Dance UK Young Creatives — one of the UK's most respected platforms for emerging dance talent.

Whether you're coming from our Youth Dance Company or bringing your own practice, MoveUP is the next step.

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MoveUP™ 2025

From the Studio to the Hippodrome Stage.

In October 2024, a new group of young choreographers walked into their first MoveUP session. Eight months later, on Sunday 22 June 2025, they stood in the wings of Darlington Hippodrome, about to see their own choreography performed on a 1,000-seat professional stage.

MoveUP™ is TeesDance’s free young choreographers’ programme, delivered in partnership with Darlington Hippodrome for dancers aged 13–19 (or up to 25 for disabled dancers). Over eight months, participants don’t just learn choreography — they take a piece from a first idea through to a fully staged production in front of a live audience.

What the programme involved.

Across the eight months, the group worked through a full choreographic process: workshops in composition and creative decision-making, hands-on experience facilitating and teaching their own material, and the practical realities of managing rehearsal time and a production schedule. Alongside the creative skills, participants built the softer skills that carry into any career — critical reflection, giving and receiving feedback, and learning to identify what needed to improve in their own work and how to fix it.

Throughout, the group worked alongside professional artists in a professional setting, aiming for choreography of genuine artistic quality rather than a “youth showcase” standard — while still building the life and employability skills that come from seeing a large creative project through to opening night.

The showcase.

The programme culminated on Sunday 22 June 2025, when the group’s new choreography was performed on Darlington Hippodrome’s main stage, in front of a 1,000-seat auditorium — the kind of professional platform most young choreographers don’t see until much later in their careers.

Why it matters.

MoveUP™ gives young creatives a route into choreography that’s rare outside of specialist training: real creative ownership, professional mentorship, and a proper stage to test the work on. For many participants, it’s their first experience of being the one making the artistic decisions, rather than performing someone else’s.

Delivered with.

MoveUP™ is delivered by TeesDance in partnership with Darlington Hippodrome. The 2025 programme was funded by Arts Council England and Tees Valley Combined Authority, and supported by Creative Darlington and Darlington Borough Council.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No — we're looking for young people with ideas and curiosity, not a portfolio. Get in touch and we'll talk it through.

  • It's one of the UK's leading platforms for emerging young choreographers, run by One Dance UK. MoveUP connects participants to this national programme as part of their development route.

  • No — MoveUP is open to young people from across the Tees Valley. If you're interested, just get in touch.