Catapult Dance Festival 2026

Welcome to Catapult Dance Festival 2026

We hope you enjoy the show!

Inspire Youth Arts are delighted to be working in partnership with Next Door Dance to deliver Catapult Dance Festival 2026. Catapult is a fun evening of dance, showcasing brand new work from children and young peoples groups from across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Croft Primary School 

You’re invited

Choreographed by Georgina S-F, Laura Savage-Weeden and class.

You’re Invited is set in an underground venue in 1920s America. Inspired by the students’ classroom topic, The Americas, the piece imagines a secret party brought to life through movement. Influences from dance styles such as the Lindy Hop and Charleston capture the energy, spirit, and excitement of the era.

Inspire Youth Arts Ballet

Tides

Choreographed by Megan Smith, Danni Chell and dancers.

Through creative exploration of the elements of nature, this piece grew from shared studio ideas. Choreographed collaboratively by Dance Leaders and the students, this piece reflects their creative voices, blending strength and softness, energy and calm, and revealing how contrasting forces can move beautifully as one.

Beech Academy

Bop it!

Choreographed by Emily Minnett, Georgina S-F and dancers

Bop It! is a playful and rhythm-driven dance work inspired by the iconic handheld game that commands its players through a series of fast-paced, reactive instructions. Dancers embody the game’s familiar prompts, twisting, pulling, flicking, and spinning transforming them into choreography that is lively and joyful.

Birklands Primary School

Special Delivery!

Choreographed by Emily Minnett and dancers

Special Delivery tells the story of an Amazon parcel on an unexpected adventure. Travelling deep into the Amazon rain forest, the parcel journeys past rushing rivers, tall trees and lively jungle animals. Will it make it through the rain forest and reach its buyer? 

Catapult Youth Dance Company

Roll the dice

Choreographed by Emily Minnett, Danni Chell and dancers.

Roll the dice explores the joy, tension and teamwork found in games. Drawing on the characters of chess, the balance of Jenga and the unpredictability of Snakes and Ladders and transforming the stage into a giant playing board. Guided by creativity, collaboration and a touch of luck, they take risks, make moves and discover where the game will lead. Who will win?

Jump Start

Catch the wave

Choreographed by Emily Minnett and Jump Start young people.

Inspired by a trip to Australia, Jump Start bring the sun, surf, and energy of the beach. From a leisurely swim to rolling waves, the dancers explore the thrills and spills of this exciting sport. Keep your eyes peeled - there’s a special surprise waiting in the surf!

Retford Oaks Academy

Leave it at the dance floor

Choreographed by Hayley Corah and the dancers.

Leave It at the Dance Floor is an electrifying, high-energy dance piece developed over a 10-week project with Retford Oaks Academy. Driven by powerful movement and infectious energy, the work is a celebration of freedom, fun, and expression. It’s all about letting go, feeling the adrenaline surge, and dancing purely for joy.

Inspire Youth Arts Tap

Roll…Bounce…Tap!

Choreographed by Jess Murray and dancers. Music Artists Tom Shawcroft and Athena Troke

A playful exploration of what happens when movement and sound come together through tap dance, music and creative technologies.

Shadow Movement Project

Half awake

Choreographed by Next Door Dance and dancers.

Created during Easter, these young dancers came together to collaborate with Next Door Dance to choreograph half awake in just 3 days! They used an original piece of music, created by Inspire Youth Arts young musicians, as a starting point, which led them down the creative path creating this piece inspired by sleep.

West Y Dance

Iceberg

Choreographed by Georgina S-F, Amber Murphy and dancers.

Iceberg is a piece inspired by the quiet power and beauty of drifting ice. Above the surface, icebergs seem still and calm but beneath the water, most of their mass remains hidden. We have explored crumbling ice and used melting and freezing to create interesting movement. 

Next Door Dance Youth Company

The prom

Choreographed by Next Door Dance and students.

This piece is a tribute to the 1980s prom. Through movement that echoes popular social dance styles of the era and costumes that reflect its bold silhouettes and vibrant textures, the choreography traces the journey of a group of teenagers as they make their grand entrance, pause for photo moments, and gather in collective suspense for the crowning of the prom queen. Nostalgic yet sincere, the work celebrates the optimism, awkwardness, and rite-of-passage significance of this timeless teenage tradition.

Catapult Dance Festival 2026 - Broadcast!

We are excited to share the recording of Catapult Dance Festival on Saturday 9 May 2026, between 6pm - 9pm. To watch, simply return to this page and follow the link below.

Click HERE for the Catapult Dance Festival broadcast

Please share the broadcasting with any family and friends that would like to watch the show.