ACE dance and music

ACE Youth is the youth section of ACE Dance and Music. Formed in 1998 they're a group of talented young people from in and around the Birmingham area, all between 9 and 18 years old. Trained under the artistic eye of Gail Parmel, our vision for ACE Youth is to promote confidence and understanding in young artists and communities through the appreciation of African and Caribbean culture, dance and music.

We encourage ACE Youth members to go off and study further. We offer members support and advice on running a dance company from administrative skills to marketing, web design, set design, technical skills, education and being touring dancer or education deliverer. We open our doors to those that have recently graduated for apprentice positions. Three members of ACE Youth are currently studying with the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. One member has graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and is now an apprentice with ACE dance and music.

In 2008/09 ACE youth performed at: Youth Moves, Hawthorn’s Banqueting Suite, Edgbaston High, Town Hall, Birmingham, Warwick Arts Centre, ArtsFest, Elmhurst School for Dance and at Youth Dance England in London.

Current ACE youth performers are: Caprene Bartley, Jamaal Burkmar, Mahalia Burkmar, Zane Burkmar, Azizi Cole, Xhosa Cole, Jameela Green, Oliver Johns, Darnisha O'Bryant, Gemma Pilgrim-Greaves, Chris Radford, Sasha Stanley-Gaussen, Cherelle Walters.

ACE Youth and Being Frank schools tour

In spring 2009 ACE dance and music was successful in securing funding from Birmingham City Council for tour of Birmingham schools. ACE Youth, alongside the male youth dance company Being Frank, toured to Birmingham ‘cold spot’ schools, which do not access external dance or arts input on a regular basis. This programme of work was specifically planned to develop children and young people as creators, audiences, participants and leaders. As well as benefitting workshop participants who have had little or no previous experience of dance, ACE Youth and Being Frank members gained new skills and confidence from acting as peer mentors. See images below.

"I was lucky enough to have seen ACE’s performance for schools showcasing the work of the young people you have been working with at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School on 29th April 2009.
I really enjoyed the show on many levels. I enjoyed the mix of the show – the different styles and feel of each piece. The quality of the work by the young people was impressive. Their performances were not only energetic, but skilled, controlled and interpretative, doing full justice to the vision of the professional choreographers who worked with them. The professionalism of the young performers was a brilliant example for the appreciative youngsters in the audience. As an educational worker for over 30 years, I also appreciated your approach with the young audience, speaking directly to them without patronising them. Many will have absorbed at lot about the value of collaborative working and the importance of respecting the contribution of others –whatever their background in dance. Good luck in your future ventures. Can’t wait to see what you do next." Birmingham City Council Education Worker

What people are saying about ACE Youth

"In dance we have a long history of professional artists working with young people to share practice and create new work for performance, benefiting both participants and artists alike. We encourage professional artists with a commitment to working with and for young people to engage with youth dance groups and I am so pleased that companies such as ACE Dance and Music invest their expertise, time and resources in their own youth dance group to achieve such high standards in performance and choreography. ACE Youth’s performance at the recent National Youth Dance Festival 2008 (5-13 July) in London was truly excellent, illustrating best practice in professional artists working with young people."

Linda Jasper (Director of Youth Dance England) 18.7.08

"What an absolutely stunning, breathtaking, emotional experience it was. Words cannot express my reaction - England's equivalent of Alvin Ailey in their early days! It was a real privelege to watch such maturity of performance and incredible choreography. I would have paid twice the price of my ticket to some and see them!"

Audience member, Youth Dance England summer 2008