English National Ballet

The final of the Emerging Dancer Competition will once again take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, after it sold out in 2011. This is the third year in which the Company has given the Emerging Dancer Award, and it has been sponsored by Talbot Hughes McKillop in all three years.

The Emerging Dancer Competition is an annual competition for English National Ballet to recognise and nurture the phenomenal talent of its up-and-coming dancers. Six of the Company’s most exciting young artists are nominated by their colleagues at English National Ballet – dancers, artistic, technical, music and administration – to compete for the title.

The six Emerging Dancer nominees for 2012 are Yonah Acosta, Junor Souza, Barry Drummond, Ksenia Ovsyanick, Nancy Osbaldeston  and Jia Zhang (pictured above).

Alongside the Emerging Dancer Competition the Company runs the People's Choice Award which is voted for by audiences across the country.

Vote for the People's Choice Award

The 2011 winner was Shiori Kase who went on to dance lead roles in Suite en Blanc at the London Coliseum, and more recently in Strictly Gershwin at the Royal Albert Hall.

Emerging Dancer Competition
An introductory video from 2011 Emerging Dancer Award featuring the winner Shiori Kase.

Join us in the Clore Ballroom at the Royal Festival Hall all day on Monday 5 March 2012 to follow the Emerging Dancer nominees in their daily class and rehearsals. Take part in a ballet workshop and then come along to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the evening to watch each nominee perform two solos from famous ballets in front of a panel of judges.

Take a look at our exciting schedule of activities.