Winners announced: Emerging Dancer 2026

Yihan Qin and Zai Calliste performing a pas de deux from The Talisman at Emerging Dancer 2026. Image by Isabella Turolla

29 May 2026

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Home / Winners announced: Emerging Dancer 2026

On Thursday 28 May, English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer 2026 took place at the company’s East London home, the Mulryan Centre for Dance.

Returning in an updated format Emerging Dancer celebrates the excellence, artistry and individuality of rising talent across the company.

This year’s event, hosted by English National Ballet artists Taela Graff and Rhys Antoni, featured six participants performing a range of repertoire, including classical pas de deux, alongside contemporary solos which were choreographed by fellow company dancers.

The esteemed judging panel included former La Scala Theatre Ballet Artistic Director Manuel Legris; choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips; celebrated dancer and advocate Cira Robinson; Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin; and English National Ballet Artistic team.

English National Ballet Philharmonic performed live throughout the evening, led by conductor Kingsley Lin, with Julia Richter, Chester Caine and Antonio Naccache also playing live.

Who won Emerging Dancer 2026?

This year, four Emerging Dancer awards were presented, recognising artistic distinction, technical excellence, versatility, and Audience Choice, which was voted for by on the night.

This year’s award winners are:

Artistic Distinction Award: Jakob Wheway Hughes

Technical Excellence Award: Zai Calliste

Versatility Award: Yihan Qin

Audience Choice Award: Jacob Wheway Hughes

This year’s Corps de Ballet Award was also awarded to Anna Ciriano.

Following his win of two prizes, Jakob Wheway Hughes’s main reaction was shock: “I am gagged! I am in a state of euphoria and exhaustion. Anri [Sugiura, who he danced with] has been my rock during this process: just before the show I was shaking and she calmed me down. I am so grateful and so glad the hard work paid off.”

Zai Calliste was also feeling “ecstatic, shocked and happy”. “Tonight, I really felt in the moment, without stressing too much, and that’s something I’ve really tried to work on”, he added. “I am very grateful for everyone who helped me.”

Yihan Qin was also in a joyous and grateful mood after the show: “I am very happy and very honoured to get a prize.”

Who performed at Emerging Dancer 2026?

This year’s participants were Zai Calliste, Thalina Chapin, Yihan Qin, Anri Sugiura, Sacha Venkatasawmy and Jakob Wheway Hughes.

The evening began with a selection of classical pas de deux:

Thalina Chapin and Sacha Venkatasawmy performed a pas de deux from Coppelia (Martínez/ Delibes). They worked with Repetiteur Erina Takahashi.

Yihan Qin and Zai Calliste performed a pas de deux from The Talisman (Petipa/Drigo). They worked with Repetiteur Carmen Piqueras.

Anri Sugiura and Jakob Wheway Hughes performed a pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty (MacMillan/Tchaikovsky). They worked with Associate Artistic Director Loipa Araújo.

For the second part of the evening, the nominees performed contemporary solos choreographed by fellow English National Ballet dancers:

Thalina Chapin, mentored by Lead Principal Sangeun Lee, performed a work by Soloist Swanice Luong.

Yihan Qin, mentored by First Soloist Haruhi Otani, performed a work by Company Artist Martinho Santos.

Anri Sugiura, mentored by Lead Principal Fernanda Oliveira, performed a work by Soloist Minju Kang.

Zai Calliste, mentored by Lead Principal Gareth Haw, performed a work by First Soloist Rentaro Nakaaki.

Sacha Venkatasawmy, mentored by First Soloist Ken Saruhashi, performed a work by Soloist Alice Bellini.

Jakob Wheway Hughes, mentored by First Soloist James Streeter, performed a work by First Artist Ashley Coupal.

The evening’s programme also included performances of three new works, developed by company dancers Alice Bellini, Rentaro Nakaaki and Eric Snyder through Studio Sessions, English National Ballet’s platform dedicated to developing choreographic talent.

Aaron S. Watkin, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, said:

“A huge congratulations to all of this year’s participants. Emerging Dancer is about giving artists the opportunity to challenge themselves, gain confidence and share their individuality on stage. It was especially exciting to see not only the exceptional talent on display this year, but also the spirit of collaboration and support across the whole company.”