The Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle has announced the nominations for the 18th National Dance Awards, which cover performances between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2017. The nominations continue to get ever wider and this year cover ballet, contemporary dance, dance theatre, flamenco, hip-hop, kathak and musical theatre. The 43 individuals nominated originate from 21 countries; a testament to how international dance in the UK really is. As usual, it’s dominated by ballet and London-based companies and visitors though.
Among the welcome firsts this year is a nomination for a composer (Vincenzo Lamagna), a musical theatre ensemble (42nd Street), a Syrian refugee (Mithkal Alzghair). Also noteworthy is Crystal Pite receiving two nominations in the Outstanding Classical Choreography Award.
The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet top the list with eight nominations, apiece, followed by Scottish Ballet and HeadSpace Dance with five each; Boy Blue Entertainment and the Flamenco Festival (3 each); and Michael Clark Company, New Adventures, Northern Ballet, Rosie Kay Dance Company and Vincent Dance Theatre (all with 2 nominations, each).
DANCING TIMES AWARD FOR BEST MALE DANCER
Miguel Altunaga (Rambert)
Isaac Hernández (English National Ballet)
Xander Parish (Mariinsky Ballet)
Liam Riddick (Richard Alston Dance Company)
Marcelino Sambé (The Royal Ballet)
GRISHKO AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DANCER
Francesca Hayward (The Royal Ballet)
Sophie Martin (Scottish Ballet)
Yasmine Naghdi (The Royal Ballet)
Zenaida Yanowsky (The Royal Ballet)
Eva Yerbabuena (Cĩa Eva Yerbabuena)
STEF STEFANOU AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING COMPANY
42nd Street
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
English National Ballet
Northern Ballet
Scottish Ballet
BEST INDEPENDENT COMPANY
Avant Garde Dance
Ballet Cymru
HeadSpaceDance
Rosie Kay Dance Company
Vincent Dance Theatre
BEST CLASSICAL CHOREOGRAPHY
Akram Khan for ‘Akram Khan’s Giselle’ (English National Ballet)
Crystal Pite for ‘Emergence’ (Scottish Ballet)
Crystal Pite for ‘Flight Pattern’ (The Royal Ballet)
Liam Scarlett for ‘Symphonic Dances’ (The Royal Ballet)
Kenneth Tindall for ‘Casanova’ (Northern Ballet)
BEST MODERN CHOREOGRAPHY
Michael Asante & Kenrick Sandy for ‘Blak Whyte Gray’ (Boy Blue Entertainment)
Matthew Bourne for ‘The Red Shoes’ (New Adventures)
Michael Clark for ‘To a simple, rock ‘n’ roll…song.’ (Michael Clark Company)
Michael Keegan-Dolan for ‘Swan Lake/Loch na hEala’ (Teaċ Damsa)
Arthur Pita for ‘Stepmother/Stepfather’ (HeadSpaceDance)
EMERGING ARTIST AWARD
Harry Alexander (Dancer, Michael Clark Company/ Julie Cunningham & Company)
Vincenzo Lamagna (Composer, ‘Akram Khan’s Giselle’ – English National Ballet)
Dickson Mbi (Dancer, Boy Blue Entertainment/ Russell Maliphant Company)
Botis Seva (Choreography for Far From the Norm and Scottish Dance Theatre)
Francesca Velicu (First Artist, English National Ballet)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Antonia Grove in ‘Virgin Territory’ (Vincent Dance Theatre)
Shelley Eva Haden in ‘MK Ultra’ (Rosie Kay Dance Theatre)
Ashley Shaw as Vicky Page in ‘The Red Shoes’ (New Adventures)
Clemmie Sveaas in ‘Stepmother/Stepfather’ (HeadSpaceDance)
Francesca Velicu in ‘The Rite of Spring’ (English National Ballet)
OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (MODERN)
Mithkal Alzghair in ‘Displacement’ (Mithkal Alzghair)
Christopher Akrill in ‘Stepmother/Stepfather’ (HeadSpaceDance)
Karl Fagerlund Brekke in ‘Stepmother/Stepfather’ (HeadSpaceDance)
Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan in ‘An American in Paris’
Dickson Mbi in ‘Blak Whyte Gray’ (Boy Blue Entertainment)
OUTSTANDING FEMALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Alina Cojocaru as Giselle in ‘Akram Khan’s Giselle’ (English National Ballet)
Bethany Kingsley-Garner in ‘Emergence’ (Scottish Ballet)
Kristen McNally in ‘Flight Pattern’ (The Royal Ballet)
Aditi Mangaldas in ‘Inter_rupted’ (Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company)
Eva Yerbabuena in ‘Aperiencias’ (Cĩa Eva Yerbabuena)
DANCE EUROPE AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MALE PERFORMANCE (CLASSICAL)
Israel Galván in ‘FLA.CO.MEN’ (Cĩa Israel Galván)
Christopher Harrison in ‘MC 14/22 (Ceci est mon corps)’ (Scottish Ballet)
Brandon Lawrence in ‘Wink’ (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
Marcelino Sambé as Colas in ‘La Fille mal gardée’’ (The Royal Ballet)
James Streeter as Albrecht in ‘Akram Khan’s Giselle’ (English National Ballet)
The winners will be announced at a lunchtime ceremony to be held in Central London on Monday, 19th February 2018.
The event will also play host to the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement and the One Dance UK Industry Award, given in memory of Jane Attenborough, for both of which nominations are not announced.
The National Dance Awards are voted for by the 60 members of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle. They are the only awards given by the body of professional dance critics in the UK.