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Is the BBC’s young dancer competition a step too far? Is the BBC’s young dancer competition a step too far?
(35 minutes later)
Does the dance world need another competition? From the lofty heights of ballet prizes such as the Prix de Lausanne, to the busy international circuit of hip-hop competitions, to the scrum of celebrity judging, raw talent and audience manipulation that make up TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, young performers around the world are being pitted against each other in every conceivable way.Does the dance world need another competition? From the lofty heights of ballet prizes such as the Prix de Lausanne, to the busy international circuit of hip-hop competitions, to the scrum of celebrity judging, raw talent and audience manipulation that make up TV shows such as So You Think You Can Dance, young performers around the world are being pitted against each other in every conceivable way.
But a new entry has entered the field, and it’s a contender.But a new entry has entered the field, and it’s a contender.
The BBC young dancer competition is being jointly organised by the broadcasting corporation and Sadler’s Wells, and it comes with the imprimatur of some of the dance world’s splashiest names. With Carlos Acosta as ambassador (a role as yet undefined beyond its publicity value), the panel judging the competition’s final include Tamara Rojo, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan and Kenrick “H2O” Sandy; and even the early rounds of the competition are to be judged by serious figures such as David Nixon, Seeta Patel and Sharon Watson. The BBC young dancer competition comes with the imprimatur of some of the dance world’s splashiest names. With Carlos Acosta as ambassador (a role as yet undefined beyond its publicity value), the panel judging the competition’s final will include Tamara Rojo, Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan and Kenrick “H2O” Sandy; and even the early rounds of the competition are to be judged by serious figures such as David Nixon, Seeta Patel and Sharon Watson.
Assuming, for the moment, that competitions are a good thing, this one has been thought through with unusual care.Assuming, for the moment, that competitions are a good thing, this one has been thought through with unusual care.
Its entrants (aged 16-20) will compete in separate categories – ballet, contemporary, hip-hop and South Asian – during the opening rounds; a spread that reflects the range of dance activity in the UK but also acknowledges, at least until the finals, the invidiousness of comparing completely different dance techniques and forms with each other.Its entrants (aged 16-20) will compete in separate categories – ballet, contemporary, hip-hop and South Asian – during the opening rounds; a spread that reflects the range of dance activity in the UK but also acknowledges, at least until the finals, the invidiousness of comparing completely different dance techniques and forms with each other.
The criteria are tweaked for each category too. The mandatory pas de deux section for the ballet entrants will become a battle for the hip-hop dancers; and while the ballet and contemporary entrants will have to take one of their two solos from the “known repertoire”, hip-hop and South Asian dancers (whose forms have a very different culture of repertory) can choreograph both solos themselves.The criteria are tweaked for each category too. The mandatory pas de deux section for the ballet entrants will become a battle for the hip-hop dancers; and while the ballet and contemporary entrants will have to take one of their two solos from the “known repertoire”, hip-hop and South Asian dancers (whose forms have a very different culture of repertory) can choreograph both solos themselves.
There’s an acknowledgement too, of the differing backgrounds the dancers may be coming from. All entrants begin by submitting a basic video of themselves – allowing anyone with access to a smart phone to compete. There’s no requirement for dancers to perform in (expensive) formal costuming until the final, at which point assistance is offered by the BBC. The organisers also help with the issues of rights for those entrants performing other choreographers’ material.There’s an acknowledgement too, of the differing backgrounds the dancers may be coming from. All entrants begin by submitting a basic video of themselves – allowing anyone with access to a smart phone to compete. There’s no requirement for dancers to perform in (expensive) formal costuming until the final, at which point assistance is offered by the BBC. The organisers also help with the issues of rights for those entrants performing other choreographers’ material.
Even the prizes have been scrupulously considered, with the winners of each category given expert mentoring before the grand final, along with the chance to work with a young choreographer on a new work appropriate to their style.Even the prizes have been scrupulously considered, with the winners of each category given expert mentoring before the grand final, along with the chance to work with a young choreographer on a new work appropriate to their style.
The cash prize of £3,000 is of course intended to fund the winner’s training.The cash prize of £3,000 is of course intended to fund the winner’s training.
But as carefully as this competition has been worked out, as admirable as its panel of judges may be, there are flaws in the whole concept that no amount of sensitivity and good sense can overcome. Competitions on this kind of public scale put intense pressure on very young and potentially vulnerable performers. They almost invariably place hardcore technique over expressive or stylistic nuance. Simply by virtue of the training and examination system through which they’ve grown up, an 18-year-old ballet student is far more likely to have acquired a professional gloss on his or her performance than their peers in other dance forms.But as carefully as this competition has been worked out, as admirable as its panel of judges may be, there are flaws in the whole concept that no amount of sensitivity and good sense can overcome. Competitions on this kind of public scale put intense pressure on very young and potentially vulnerable performers. They almost invariably place hardcore technique over expressive or stylistic nuance. Simply by virtue of the training and examination system through which they’ve grown up, an 18-year-old ballet student is far more likely to have acquired a professional gloss on his or her performance than their peers in other dance forms.
But still I’m very curious to see what this competition delivers, especially in TV terms. The grand final, to be performed at Sadler’s Wells and televised on BBC2 in May, is not the only focus, as the BBC are also promising to run a series of lead-up programmes, featuring behind-the-scenes documentaries and detailed analysis of the entrants and their different techniques. In schedules that have become so depressingly dance-lite over recent years, the BBC young dancer may actually beam some much-needed screen time on the art form itself, as well as on its competing talent.But still I’m very curious to see what this competition delivers, especially in TV terms. The grand final, to be performed at Sadler’s Wells and televised on BBC2 in May, is not the only focus, as the BBC are also promising to run a series of lead-up programmes, featuring behind-the-scenes documentaries and detailed analysis of the entrants and their different techniques. In schedules that have become so depressingly dance-lite over recent years, the BBC young dancer may actually beam some much-needed screen time on the art form itself, as well as on its competing talent.