Huge congratulations to all from DanceTabs…
The 13th National Dance Awards
Announcement of Nominations
The Place, London: Friday, 9th November 2012
The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle announced the nominations for the 13th National Dance Awards at a reception held at The Place on 9th November 2012.
The nominations for the 2012 National Dance Awards are given below.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held in The Robin Howard Theatre at The Place on Monday, 28th January 2013.
DANCING TIMES AWARD FOR BEST MALE DANCER
Jonathan GODDARD (Rambert Dance Company & Freelance)
Akram KHAN (Akram Khan Company)
Vadim MUNTAGIROV (English National Ballet)
Edward WATSON (Royal Ballet)
GRISHKO AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DANCER
Begoña CAO (English National Ballet)
Eve MUTSO (Scottish Ballet)
Marianela NUÑEZ (Royal Ballet)
Tamara ROJO (Royal Ballet)
STEF STEFANOU AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPANY
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
New Adventures
Royal Ballet Flanders
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
BEST CLASSICAL CHOREOGRAPHY
David BINTLEY (‘Faster’ for the Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Christopher HAMPSON (‘Storyville’ for Ballet Black)
Annabelle LOPEZ OCHOA (‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ for Scottish Ballet)
Alastair MARRIOTT & Christopher WHEELDON (‘Trespass’ in ‘Metamorphosis – Titian 2012 Bill’ for The Royal Ballet)
BEST MODERN CHOREOGRAPHY
Alexander EKMAN (‘Cacti’ for Nederlands Dans Theater II)
Akram KHAN (‘DESH’ for AKRAM KHAN COMPANY)
Arthur PITA (‘The Metamorphosis’)
Kate PRINCE (‘Some Like It Hip Hop’ for Zoonation)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Yuhui CHOE (Royal Ballet)
Ksenia OVSYANICK (English National Ballet)
Beatriz STIX-BRUNELL (Royal Ballet)
Jia ZHANG (English National Ballet)
OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Yonah ACOSTA (English National Ballet)
Paul KAY (Royal Ballet)
Zdenek KONVALINA (English National Ballet)
Dawid TRZENSIMIECH (Royal Ballet)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Azzurra ARDOVINI (Phoenix Dance Theatre)<
Teneisha BONNER (Zoonation)
Wendy HOUSTOUN
Hannah KIDD (Richard Alston Dance Company)
OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Tommy FRANZÉN (Zoonation & Russell Maliphant Company)
Dane HURST (Rambert Dance Company)
Christopher MARNEY (New Adventures)
Liam RIDDICK (Richard Alston Dance Company)
BEST INDEPENDENT COMPANY
Ballet Black
Ballet Cymru
Rosie Kay Dance Company
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance
The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle is also delighted to announce that Grishko are continuing as overall event sponsors as well as sponsoring the Best Female Dancer Award, which is given in memory of Richard Sherrington; Dancing Times will continue its long-running arrangement to sponsor the Best Male Dancer Award and other sponsors continuing for a further year include Stef Stefanou, sponsoring both the Outstanding Company and Best Modern Choreography Awards; the Ballet Association for the Best Classical Choreography Award; Lee McLernon for the Outstanding Female Performance (Classical) and the Critics’ Circle.
It is hoped that additional sponsors will be confirmed over the next few weeks. Once again the event will play host to the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Dance UK Industry Award, given in memory of Jane Attenborough, for both of which awards there are no prior nominations.
Details of all nominees can be found at www.criticscircle.org.uk from 5pm on 9th November.
The National Dance Awards have been organised by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle in each year since 2000 and they celebrate the vigour and variety of Britain’s thriving dance culture. They are the only awards given by the body of professional dance critics in the UK. They are presented by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle, which brings together more than 50 dance writers and critics.
In announcing the awards, the chairman of the Dance Section, Graham Watts OBE, said: ‘this year we have had many nominations from over 30 active dance critics, who are watching and reviewing dance on a regular and frequent basis up and down the United Kingdom. Collectively they have put forward over 250 dancers, choreographers and companies for consideration and so the final shortlists are already very much the elite of 2012. The Awards Committee wishes to express grateful thanks to our sponsors, without whom the event would not be possible; The Place for its continued support; dance critics for giving their time to ensure the best possible list of nominees; and, above all, the companies, choreographers and performers for giving us such a rich variety of choice. It has been a bumper year. We look forward to announcing the award winners on 28th January 2013.’
ENDS
Notes:
(1) To qualify for the NDA in 2012 performances will have been given between 1st September 2011 and 31st August 2012
(2) The Committee for the NDA in 2012 is: Zoe Anderson, Debra Craine, Luke Jennings, Josephine Leask, Judith Mackrell, Neil Norman, Stuart Sweeney, Graham Watts and Lyndsey Winship
Wow! Two whole nominations for Scotland (even then they are for Scottish Ballet as always) in the National Dance Awards and no input from Scottish critics even though the awards take in work from ‘up and down the United Kingdom’. Seems to be the same every year. What is the point in these awards being called the National Dance Awards if Scotland only gets the token gesture of a nomination for Scottish Ballet every year? What about all the other great work of the modern companies there? Scottish Dance Theatre has created great work this year, as has Natasha Gilmore, Smallpetitklein, David Hughes. Also, what about Wales? Not even a single mention.
I used to be on the NDA organising committee but have not been for a few years – so I don’t think I’m well qualified to respond. I’ll make Graham Watts (the Chairman) aware of your comments however. Re Wales I’d note that Ballet Cymru is nominated.
While I’m very pleased that the NDA’s exist one of the things I always felt was that the governance and constituency was too restricted and it would be good to see a much broader range of stakeholders involved in the organising and voting. It would be nice to see some UK dance awards with the zing and sense of outward facing celebration you see elsewhere in entertainment – like seeing the Dance Awards televised by Channel 4, red carpet or whatever, but that’s most unlikely given current governance. BUT none of this is easy and it’s great that where there was nothing, now we have something and I applaud those that selflessly keep the flame going. It’s very easy to criticise.
Dear Jason – this is a perennial problem I’m afraid. However you are wrong in that Scottish critics do participate in the award nominations and it is also true that the London-based critics make lots of nominations for companies based elsewhere in the UK and overseas. The awards are democratic in the sense that the shortlisted nominees are those who get the most proposals, which is the fairest process. Personally, I am sorry that there are – for example – no nominations for Northern Ballet this year – although there were many proposals from critics amongst the 250 or so on the long list -. but that is the democratic process and we have to respect it. Actually, I think this year’s list is perhaps the most diverse we have had for awhile.
These are awards given by critics and not the dance community in general – that is an important distinction which we are intent on emphasising.
Thanks for taking the time to comment
very surprised earthfall’s ‘at swim two boys’ not in nominations..?