ENB Emerging Dancer 2022 Competition livestream and on YouTube 19 May-18 June

[Emeralds]

I thought I’d post this as a performance seen since this yearly competition wasn’t staged for a public audience this year, but is however available for anyone anywhere with internet access to watch and rewatch till 18 June. 

 

The nominees this year were (in order of performances) Ashley Coupal and Noam Durand, Chloe Keneally and Eric Snyder, Angela Wood and Matthew Astley. Ashley and Noam danced the wedding pas de deux from Coppelia, Chloe and Eric the grand pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty Act 3, while Angela and Matthew took the adventurous choice of the pas de deux from Paquita grand pas, which ENB don’t have in their repertory (and no company has presented in Britain for a long time- not counting the Royal Ballet School graduation performances) so a potentially more challenging task to learn and prepare.

 

After that, the pairs also performed a contemporary pas de deux that was created for the competition. I found this an interesting departure from previous years of the competition and other dance competitions  when nominees could choose to do a contemporary solo instead. Am not sure if the nominees all chose, coincidentally, to dance duets, and newly created ones at that, or whether it is a newish rule? 

 

I was glad to be able to have the event streamed online and the chance to rewatch, although am sure fans who attended the competition in previous years at Royal Festival Hall, Sadler’s Wells and other venues, no doubt would like the option of watching it in person in future too.

 

My favourite bits of the competition were: Angela and Matthew giving an elegant account of the Paquita adagio, Eric’s neat finesse in Florimund’s solo, Chloe’s interpretation of their contemporary pas de deux “Cha Cha And Tiara” by colleague Rentaro Nakaaki, and Ashley and Noam’s charming rapport and artistry in the Coppelia adagio and coda, and Ivana Bueno and Victor Prigent performing the Le Corsaire pas de deux with virtuosity and delightful charisma. 

 

It would be great to read what everyone thought, but it’s not the first time that it’s made me think that ENB should seriously consider touring the Emerging Dancer programme of classical pas de deux around the country, with maybe three casts per duet, mixing and matching the distribution of Emerging Dancer nominees in each cast. It’s not easy for all fans to get to London for that one night on a Sunday or some weekday, with (obviously) no other choices of dates. 😊

 

The performance is available on YouTube till 18 June 2022. 📅

[Emeralds]

(And.....I just noticed that I’ve posted it in the wrong place. I hate technology! Lol. If the moderators wouldn’t mind moving it, thank you so much. Or ...if everyone can find it here anyway.... I suppose it can stay here too, if it doesn’t look too weird.)  😛😅