SIXTEEN-year-old Porlock-based Ernie Shorten has successfully auditioned for the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) based at Sadler’s Wells, in London.

Ernie is part of Porlock performance company Stacked Wonky and becomes the first Somerset dancer for a decade to join NYDC.

More than 400 dancers were involved in the audition process, 70 of whom attended a final audition at Sadler’s Wells with the company’s new artistic director, Oona Doherty, a rising star of the international contemporary dance scene.

After a day of workshops and improvisation tasks, Ernie was told he would be one of 25 selected to form the new company.

He will begin a nine-month journey in October to create an original work with Oona, which will premiere at Sadler’s Wells in April, 2024, before touring nationally.

Stacked Wonky artistic director Sarah Shorten, who lives in Bossington, said: “Ernie has been a committed performer with Stacked Wonky since he was very young.

“Rather than focus on traditional technique, he has been encouraged to improvise and devise his own movement style, which is often physically daring and nuanced.

“He is a magnetic performer.

“His achievement is a source of real pride for Stacked Wonky, Porlock, and West Somerset, demonstrating it is possible to rise without access to advanced training often only available in urban centres.”

To celebrate the news, Ernie and fellow Stacked Wonky dancer Stuart Pelling returned to London where they performed a duet called ‘4 Minutes’ at Greenwich and Docklands International Festival. 

They took their place alongside 11 international dance companies tasked to animate the streets of Canary Wharf for an audience of thousands.

Their work was described by critics as ‘young, gritty, and ferocious’, and ‘among the most intense, magnetic, and uncompromising four minutes of performance I have ever seen’. 

Sarah said: “It was a huge moment for the boys as it is incredibly rare to witness a performance made by young artists break through on the national scene.

“They had an opportunity to meet an array of international producers interested in the performance, thereby firmly putting West Somerset on the map as a centre of creative excellence.”

Ernie and Stuart are both young associates at Stacked Wonky, a programme designed to ‘super-charge the futures of young artists in West Somerset’ made possible by support from the Hinkley Point C community fund.

They have also been part of Stacked Wonky’s academy programme, a weekly series of workshops and laboratories where those aged five to 18 years can learn the art of performance making. 

Based in Porlock and Old Cleeve, the company currently welcomes more than 50 youngsters, half of whom are boys.

More information about the young associates and academy programmes can be obtained by emailing [email protected].