Now in its eighth year, English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer competition will this year be held at Sadler’s Wells for the first time on Thursday 25 May 2017.
Through this annual event, English National Ballet recognises the excellence of its artists. Selected by their peers, six of the company's most promising dancers perform in front of an eminent panel of expert judges, before one receives the 2017 Emerging Dancer Award.
Also revealed on the night will be the recipients of the People's Choice Award as selected by members of the public, and the Corps de Ballet Award, acknowledging the work on and off-stage of a member of the Corps de Ballet. The inaugural Corps de Ballet Award was presented last year to Artist of the Company, Jennie Harrington, recognising her exceptional commitment over the previous season.
Joining Tamara Rojo CBE, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, on the judging panel this year are former Royal Ballet Principal dancer and teacher Laura Conner; former English National Ballet Lead Principal dancer Dmitri Gruzdyev; former Royal Ballet Senior Principal dancer, teacher and choreographer Marguerite Porter MBE; Alfreda Thorogood, former Royal Ballet principal dancer, teacher and Guest Repetiteur for English National Ballet; and Graham Watts OBE, writer and chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle and of the National Dance Awards.
The finalists will first perform a pas de deux, followed by a solo. This year will see Isabelle Brouwers and Emilio Pavan present the grand pas from Paquita, Madison Keesler and Guilherme Menezes will dance a pas de deux from Bournonville’s La Sylphide and Rina Kanehara and Aitor Arrieta perform the Esmeralda pas de deux.
Isabelle Brouwers will then dance a solo from a Drift by renowned choreographer and Artistic Director of Royal Ballet Flanders, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. The piece is extracted from a short trio of works first choreographed for LA Dance Project. Madison Keesler performs We Move Lightly by Myles Thatcher, dancer and choreographer with San Francisco Ballet; and Rina Kanehara will dance Raimondo Rebeck’s Blind Dreams set to music from Philip Glass’s soundtrack from the film The Hours.
Guilherme Menezes performs a new work from Danish choreographer Sebastian Kloborg whilst Aitor Arrieta performs new choreography by Aleix Mañe set to three pieces; Flat of Angles, pt4 read by Benedict Cumberbatch, Hospital by Max Richter and Palladio by Karl Jenkins.
This year’s finalists have been mentored by their peers in the Company. Senri Kou has helped Madison Keesler and Guilherme Menezes prepare for La Sylphide, Pedro Lapetra has mentored Rina Kanehara and Aitor Arrieta as they rehearse Esmeralda, and Fernando Bufalá and Maria José Sales have worked on Paquita with Isabelle Brouwers and Emilio Pavan.
Last year’s winner of both the Emerging Dancer Award and the People’s Choice Award, Cesar Corrales, will perform a pas de deux from Don Quixote with Katja Khaniukova.
Emilio Pavan’s solo will be confirmed shortly.
Casting and repertoire is subject to change. Please see www.ballet.org.uk for up-to-date details.
Press night: Thursday 25 May 2017 at 7.30pm
The 2017 Emerging Dancer finalists:
Isabelle Brouwers
Having trained at English National Ballet School, Isabelle joined English National Ballet in 2014. This season, Isabelle has performed as Myrtha in Akram Khan’s Giselle, Mirliton and Lead Flowers in Nutcracker, and as Myrtha in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. A previous Emerging Dancer finalist in 2014 and 2015, Isabelle won Silver Medal at the 2013 Genée International Ballet Competition, and came second place in Young British Dancer of the Year 2013.
Rina Kanehara
Rina trained at the Princess Grace Academy, Monaco and joined English National Ballet after being named Prize Winner at the Prix de Lausanne 2015. In the 2016/2017 season Rina made her debut as Clara in Nutcracker, and performed as Moyna and in the Peasant pas-de-deux in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. Rina was a finalist in Emerging Dancer 2016 and has won Silver Medal at Varna 2016, Gold Medal at the Youth American Grand Prix 2012, Gold Medal at Nagoya Ballet Competition 2012, Gold Medal at Nara Ballet Competition 2011.
Madison Keesler
Madison joined English National Ballet in 2013, and was previously with The Hamburg Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. This season she worked closely with Akram Khan on the creation of Giselle and performed in the title role, as well as performing as Lead Snowflakes and Flowers in Nutcracker, and as Bathilde in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. Madison was a finalist in Emerging Dancer 2014.
Aitor Arrieta
Aitor joined English National Ballet at the start of the 2016/2017 season. In his short time with the company he has performed as Albrecht in Akram Khan’s Giselle, as the Nutcracker, and in the Peasant pas-de-deux in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle. He received The Professional Dancers’ Association of Gipuzkoa Discover Award in 2015, the 2015 Dancer Revelation of Gipuzkoa Prize, Gold Medal at the International Dance Contest of Biarritz, 2013 and 1st place Championship of Euskadi Aurresku, 2011.
Guilherme Menezes
Guilherme joined the company from English National Ballet School in 2011. This season he has performed as the Nutcracker and Lead Flowers in Nutcracker, and in Akram Khan’s Giselle. He was a finalist at Prix de Lausanne 2010 and was a finalist in Emerging Dancer 2013.
Emilio Pavan
Previously a member of Queensland Ballet, Emilio joined the company in 2015. He has performed in Akram Khan’s Giselle and made his debut as Nephew in Nutcracker this season.
The Judging Panel for Emerging Dancer 2017:
Laura Conner
After training at the Royal Ballet School she joined the Company in 1964. In 1970 promoted to Soloist and after being chosen as one of the original dancers in Jerome Robbins Dances at a Gathering she was promoted to Principal dancer in 1975. She danced many leading roles including Lise in La Fille mal gardée; the ballerina in The Concert; Mitzi Casper in Mayerling and the leading role of Nikiya in La Bayadère. Retired in 1982 to join the faculty of the Royal Ballet School where she taught for four years. In 1986 she became a freelance guest teacher for many ballet companies whilst also having her own classes at Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden where she taught for 21 years.
Dmitri Gruzdyev
Born in St Petersburg, Russia and trained at the prestigious Vaganova Academy, upon graduating he entered the Mariinsky Ballet Company. His favourite roles included Solor in La Bayadère, Albrecht in Giselle and the lead roles in MacMillan’s Manon. In 1988 he was awarded First prize at the first Vaganova Ballet Competition.
In 1993 he relocated to London and entered English National Ballet as a Principal where his career span over two decades. He appeared in all the leading male roles within the repertoire receiving outstanding reviews for his portrayal of both Des Grieux and Lescaut in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon.
Amongst many of his career highlights included working with Glen Tetley and Natalia Makarova as well as meeting both Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev.
Marguerite Porter MBE
Marguerite was born and trained in Yorkshire and later at the Royal Ballet School in London. After two years she joined The Royal Ballet Company where she remained for 20 years, becoming a Guest Artist for a further three years. She became a Senior Principal ballerina in 1978 and danced all the major roles in the repertoire. Marguerite has been fortunate enough to work with some of the greatest names in the last century. These include Jerome Robbins; George Balanchine; Antony Tudor; Glen Tetley; Sir Frederick Ashton; Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Dame Ninette de Valois. She was partnered by among others, Anthony Dowell; Wayne Eagling and finally Rudolf Nureyev, whom she danced with in Swan Lake; La Bayadère; Apollo; Raymonda; Dances at a Gathering and Konservatoriet. After leaving The Royal Ballet she published her autobiography: Ballerina, A Dancer’s Life. She made a video based on ballet called Balletcise.
Choreography includes The Garden of Eros for London City Ballet; Private Lives for the National Theatre; East Lynne for Greenwich; Dancing at Lughnasa for The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh.
Marguerite made her debut Broadway appearance as The Queen in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake in 1998. In 2003 she appeared in Rodgers and Hart’s On your Toes at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre, playing the role of Vera Baronova.
Marguerite taught for many years at the Yorkshire Ballet Summer School prior to becoming Director in 2005. She has taught at the Royal Ballet School, Rambert School and Company. She is now a Governor of The Royal Ballet Company. In 2014 Marguerite received an MBE for her services to dance and in 2016 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The University of York.
Alfreda Thorogood
Alfreda was born in Westminster, London and received her training by Dame Margot Fonteyn and renowned teachers Vera Volkova and George Goncharov prior to furthering her training at both the Lower and Upper Royal Ballet Schools.
She graduated at 17 entering The Royal Ballet Touring Company and within three years had danced Soloist and Principal roles and in 1968 was promoted to Principal.
In 1967 married David Wall and in 1970 they both transferred to The Royal Ballet Company at Covent Garden. Danced and created roles in works by De Valois; Ashton; Tudor; MacMillan; Robbins; Balanchine, Cranko and Tetley. Danced all the leading classical ballerina roles such as Odette/Odile; Aurora and Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty; Giselle; Swanilda in Coppélia and Mary Vetsera and Countess Marie Larische in MacMillan’s Mayerling. Her partners included David Wall, Rudolf Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, Wayne Eagling and Stephen Jefferies, Donald Macleary and Christopher Gable. Retired in 1980.
In 1977 she was chosen as one of five ‘Women of the Year’ selected for naturalness, acclaim and popularity. Awarded the Professional Dancer’s Teaching Diploma by the Royal Academy of Dancing. Senior Ballet Teacher and Deputy Ballet Principal at Bush Davies School. Artistic Advisor at the RAD. Artistic Director of Dance at Elmhurst Ballet School. Member of the Advisory Panel for Dance for the Arts Council. In 2015 awarded a Fellowship from the RAD. Regular guest repetiteur for English National Ballet and is Governor of English National Ballet School.
Graham Watts OBE
Graham Watts writes for magazines, websites, theatres and festivals across Europe, and in Japan, Australia and the USA. He is chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle and of the National Dance Awards; a mentor of aspiring dance writers through the Resolution Review programme; and has lectured at The Place and the Royal Academy of Dance. His book, ‘Agony & Ecstasy’, written with Daria Klimentová, was published in 2013. Graham is a Commonwealth fencing medallist; was captain of the GB sabre team at the Barcelona Olympics; and fencing team leader at the Olympic Games of Athens and Beijing. He was appointed an OBE in 2008.
