Scottish Ballet take the honours in the 23rd National Dance Awards

Presented by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle, which brings together over 60 professional dance writers and critics, the winners of the 23rd National Dance Awards were announced at a ceremony at The Coronet Theatre in London’s Notting Hill Gate, the first time it has been held at the beautiful, slightly quirky and very atmospheric venue.

Voted on by the 60 dance critics who are members of the Critics’ Circle, the awards cover performances for the calendar year 2022.

It was a great year for diversity. The winners came from a list of 70 nominations covering every dance genre drawn from an initial nearly 400 recommendations from the dance critics.

A great year too for Scottish Ballet who not only picked up the Outstanding Company Award, but also that for Best Classical Choreography and Outstanding Female Classical Performance (Constance Devernay-Laurence) for Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple’s (Jess and Morgs) Coppélia.

The Royal Ballet garnered three awards including Laura Morera for Best Female Dancer. Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate picked up two: Marcelino Sambé for Outstanding Male Classical Performance as Pedro, and designer Bob Crowley taking away the Outstanding Creative Contribution Award, the latter shared with Flamenco guitarist Paco Peña after the judges were so completely split that it was decided to make a joint award.  

The Royal Ballet also had a hand in the Best Modern Choreography Award, won by Ben Duke of Lost Dog for Ruination, a collaboration between the two companies. Lost Dog also picked up the Best Mid-scale Company Award.

Musa Motha, a dancer with Rambert, who was outstanding as Barney and Jeremiah in Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, and who has been performing so well in the latest edition of Britain’s Got Talent won the Emerging Artist Award. 

The judges were completely split in the choice of winner in the Outstanding Creative Contribution category and so a joint award was made to the designer, Bob Crowley, and the Flamenco guitarist, Paco Peña.  

The ‘lifetime achievement’ prize, the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement, went to Breakin’ Convention artistic director Jonzi D, who surely more than anyone has worked tirelessly to get hip hop accepted as a mainstream art form. He also spends a huge amount of time mentoring and giving upcoming artists platforms on which to show their work.

Speaking after the Awards Ceremony, NDA Chair, Graham Watts OBE said: “This was a fantastic year for Scotland and Spain, as Scottish Ballet took home a record three awards and two superb artists from Spain, Israel Galván and Paco Peña also won.  Paco is over 80 and it was a very good year for mature artists, since there were four performance-based nominees in the awards in their 60s, proving that you are never too young to dance.”

The winners:

Dancing Times Award for Best Male Dancer: Jeffrey Cirio (English National Ballet)

Best Female Dancer: Laura Morera (The Royal Ballet)

Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company: Scottish Ballet 

Best Mid-scale Company: Lost Dog 

Best Independent Company: Alleyne Dance

Best Classical Choreography: Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple (Jess and Morgs) for Coppélia (Scottish Ballet)

Best Modern Choreography: Ben Duke for Ruination (Lost Dog)

Emerging Artist Award: Musa Motha (Dancer, Rambert)

Outstanding Female Modern Performance: Zeleidy Crespo in 100% Cuban (Acosta Danza)

Outstanding Male Modern Performance: Israel Galván in La Consagración de la Primavera (Compañia Israel Galván)

Outstanding Female Classical Performance: Constance Devernay-Laurence as Swanilda in Coppélia (Scottish Ballet)

Outstanding Male Classical Performance: Marcelino Sambé as Pedro in Like Water for Chocolate (The Royal Ballet)

Outstanding Creative Contribution: Bob Crowley (Designer, Like Water for Chocolate), and Paco Peña (Director and Guitarist, Solera)

The De Valois Award for Outstanding Contribution: Jonzi D