Tina's story

"With this project I really like the idea of the voluntary work, the whole idea of giving back for what you get. I think that's probably the most important part of what this is about.

The dancers from Dynasty [a mixed-gender group of nine young people from Brent aged 12-25] sat down together and calculated the number of hours they had spent rehearsing in the space at Granville and how many hours of voluntary work they would need to do in exchange, and decided between them what they would do in return for their use of the space. Together, the group came up with a plan to redecorate the dance studio. It's really brightened the space up.  It's helped us, it's helped everybody that will use it.

I think also through the volunteer work they're got this sense of teamwork, they've created something other than the dance together and they've learned new skills – drawing and design, negotiation skills, decision-making skills, deciding what they were going to make, how they were going to put it together. It was really good because they gained ownership of the space.

"I would like for them to continue working together as a group and to perform in lots of different venues, but also to keep the idea that they should give something back. Dancers sometimes feel that they're dancers and that's all they do, but they've learned new skills together as a group. I would like them to keep the idea that as a group they can create more than dance, they can work together to contribute to their community in other ways."

Youth dance groups often find that the expense of hiring rehearsal space can be prohibitive so Youth Dance SpaceXchange pairs youth dance groups who are prepared to volunteer their time to their local community with rehearsal spaces who offer free access to dance space in return.

The project is funded by £44,634 London Councils grant. Youth Dance SpaceXchange is a pan London project delivered by London Youth Dance at Sadler's Wells.