Public Voting Opens for Sadler’s Wells Dance Contest

The Sadler’s Wells  Global Dance Contest has entered its second stage with members of the public able to vote for their favorite video clip online from the 10 shortlisted entries on www.globaldancecontest.com. The winner will be announced on 18 November 2009 and will receive a cash prize and the chance to perform at Sadler’s Wells Sampled, the theatre’s yearly showcase of the best in dance from around the world.

Launched in March 2009, the contest aims to discover new dance talent from across the globe. It is open to anyone aged 18 and over who submit a short clip of their dancing via YouTube. Applicants from Nigeria, Venezuela, China and Australia were among the 170 that were received from 34 different countries.

A shortlist of 10 videos have now been selected by the panel of judges, including choreographer Arlene Philips, UK broadcaster and journalist Miranda Sawyer and Artistic Director and CEO of Sadler’s Wells Alistair Spalding.

The shortlisted work spans a  variety of styles from a South African duo who use a clapped-out VW Beatle as a stage to a surreal piece by a Taiwanese dance group set to Ravel’s Bolero, and a dance battle from a UK break dancing crew.

The contest will run annually for the next four years. At the end of four years in 2012, the collective winners of the annual competition will be invited to perform their work in London during the Olympic year.