National Youth Dance Wales announces Osian Meilir as 2026 Guest Choreographer
We’re excited to announce former National Youth Dance Wales (NYDW) Alumni, Welsh choreographer, movement artist and performer Osian Meilir will be joining NYDW as Guest Choreographer for 2026.
Osian Meilir
Originally from West Wales, Osian blends a deep-rooted love of Welsh folk dance with contemporary movement, bringing a rich sense of identity, community and cultural storytelling to his work.
The former NYDW alumni and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance graduate's creations have toured across the UK and internationally - from festival stages in Australia’s Ten Days on the Island, to performances at Biennale de la Danse Lyon.
Osian Meilir was a member of National Youth Dance Wales between 2014 - 16 under the Artist Direction of Errol White, and later Kerry Nicholls. During his time with NYDW, Osian performed several notable pieces including H3re by choreographer Odette Hughes, Scuse Me while I kiss the sky choreographed by Theo Clinkard, and aM choreographer by Kerry Nicholls.
Head of Dance and Producer, Jamie Jenkins, says: “Osian’s work celebrates Welsh identity through bold storytelling and expressive, exciting choreography that connects community and culture. We’re thrilled to welcome him back this time as an inspiring and dynamic choreographer ready to stretch, challenge, and ignite the creativity of our National Youth Dance Wales dancers. We can’t wait to see the impactful work he creates with them next year.”
NYDW 2026 Guest Choreographer, Osian Meilir, says:
"I'm very excited to be creating with NYDW this year. Being a former member of the company myself, I know how important and informative those years of training were in my development as a young dancer. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with the incredible young dancers of Wales and to be back as part of the NYDW family."
For NYDW’s 2026 company, Osian will lead a creative collaboration, guiding some of Wales’ exceptional young dancers through an exciting journey of training, creation and performance. Under his direction, the dancers will explore new movement languages, deepen their artistic identity and join to create bold, original work which will be premiered on stage, as well as on film across Wales in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and heritage sites.
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the next generation of Welsh dance than by partnering with a former alumni and artist whose commitment to culture, community and creative expression echoes National Youth Arts Wales values.
Welcome back, Osian – your stage awaits!
Applications for National Youth Dance Wales are currently open and close on 11th February 2026. To find out more about auditioning for NYDW, click here.