BBC Young Dancer Competition

[drdance]

I've just seen a Facebook post about a new BBC competition (televised in some way, I guess, on BBC Four). 
 

The BBC website states that: 

"BBC Young Dancer 2015 is a brand new award for young people that showcases the very best of young British dance talent. Young dancers will enter in one of four categories of dance: ballet, contemporary, hip hop and South Asian dance. BBC Young Dancer 2015 will culminate in a grand final at Sadler's Wells, when the best dancers in each category will dance against each other for the title."
 
Entry requirements:

• You must be aged 16-20 on 1st September 2014.
• You must be a resident of the United Kingdom (including the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) and have been a resident of the UK since 1st September 2011.
• You must not be - and nor should you ever have been - employed on a professional, full-time contract as a dancer.
• Entrants aged under 18 will require the signed consent of their parent or guardian

 

Looks interesting!

[balletqs]

Good old Tony Hall! Perhaps this is the reason for the termination of YBDY.

[drdance]

True - I wonder if the vocational schools will enter, though?!

[Lottie]

True - I wonder if the vocational schools will enter, though?!

 

If they don't enter then it won't be 'the very best of young British dance talent'.

[Yaffa]

There are more details and a brochure and application form at http://www.bbc.co.uk/youngdancer

 

Yaffa

[balletqs]

Edit below

Edited August 7, 2014 by balletqs

[balletqs]

Well I think with the pas de deux element it is tricky to enter a student who isn't already at vocational school. Even if as it says on the form they possibly can find them a partner. It will be interesting to see if the competition has staying power.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Interesting.

 

If it is run along similar lines to & attracts similar calibre dancers to Young Musician then it should be an exciting opportunity (however young musician doesn't require entrants to perform a duet/ensemble

 

The vocational music schools enter pupils so hopefully the dance schools will feel the same.

[Yaffa]

Mixed feelings about this new competition and the abrupt end of YBDY. (I find it hard to believe that the two aren't in some way connected.)

If the BBC Young Dancer can avoid sensationalism and has serious input from the ballet world, it could lead to much needed exposure and appreciation of what ballet training really involves. (It was always frustrating that YBDY supposedly celebrated the 'British' dancer, but hardly had room in its tiny venues for the typical British dancer's extended families, friends, former teachers - let alone the wider public.)

But not sure about bundling ballet and other dance forms in a competitive environment. How and why were the different forms of dance chosen? Interesting that the final will include a piece created for the category winners of the different dance types. But is it really possible to have a 'play off' between a hip hop and ballet dancer... and how will it be perceived if a ballet dancer wins or doesn't win the final?

 

The age limit (16-20 and never danced professionally) also seems a bit strange in the ballet world, where you'd expect the most talented over-18s to have been snapped up by companies. YBDY's lower age gave a challenge to younger students and let folks start to follow the success of some very talented year 10s and 11s.

 

The prize money of £3,000 seems low for television competitions, but I suppose it has to be the same as in the BBC Young Musician competition. The latter is held every two years - Will this also be the case for BBC Young Dancer?

I do hope that the vocational schools will participate in the new venture, and also that the March category finals (Where? When?) won't clash with the date of the the new RBS-hosted 'Showcase of British Dance Training' at Linbury (looks very exciting though a pity the venue is again so small). It would be a pity if the top ballet students had to choose between them.

 

Interesting times ahead...

Yaffa

[edited to correct typo]

Edited August 7, 2014 by Yaffa

[swanprincess]

Well I think with the pas de deux element it is tricky to enter a student who isn't already at vocational school. Even if as it says on the form they possibly can find them a partner. It will be interesting to see if the competition has staying power.

I can't seem to understand from the website- is it just the 2 solos needed for the first round, or is pas de deux required too?

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I too find the age range interesting

 

Dancers tend to start training & careers younger than musicians yet the age range for Young Dancer is older than Young Musician?

[Yaffa]

I too find the age range interesting

 

Dancers tend to start training & careers younger than musicians yet the age range for Young Dancer is older than Young Musician?

Maybe typical career paths of hip-hop and South Asian dance are different, and they will scour the country and find people who have started these dance types after school age with the potential to gravitate to the top? But I think it is misleading to imply that the same is true for ballet.

 

Yaffa

[edited for clarity]

Edited August 7, 2014 by Yaffa

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I just checked the age requirements for Young Musician - it's 18 & under so entrants are under the age of conservatoire training which usually starts at 18.

 

Candidates also used to have to be a minimum of Grade 8 Distinction level (though for non exam takers that could be determined at audition)

 

I wonder why the dancers have to be older?

[Pas de Quatre]

In general I welcome this competition and think it will benefit dance as a whole providing it is run seriously and the programme makers are not tempted to go to much into sentimental back stories.  As others have said, the age range is interesting, my take on it is that these are the students who will have entered serious (vocational) three year training, whether starting at 16 or at 18.

 

Personally I don't like the need for pas de deux and partners who may or may not be in the competition themselves.  It certainly makes it harder for anyone who is not at Vocational school. 

Edited August 7, 2014 by Pas de Quatre

[Guest]

Looks exciting and I think I may enter, no harm in trying. Im not at vocational school and have a pas de deux partner so that would be okay:) also it's lovely that vocational schools will be allowed to enter, however I can't help wishing for some sort of competition where it's non vocational students only so everyone is on a level playing field in terms of how much training you can physically fit in... Just a thought

[Kat09]

Presumably vocational students will need their schools permission to enter - will be interesting to see as to whether they will give it their support. 

[Guesty]

Isn't that what festivals are for tho? This comp simply seems a money maker for tv.

[Guest]

To me it seems more than a money maker it's something that allows young talent that may go unitised otherwise. What some people don't think of is auditions for vocational schools and then fees if you get in costs thousands of pounds! Some families simply can not afford that type of money. This competition is free(if you read the brochure it says travel will be reimbursed) and a chance for otherwise unnoticed talet to be showcased nationwide. Everyone has their own opinion but personally I think it's a fantastic idea by the bbc

[Guest]

Again festivals depend on money for travel, entrance fees and costumes. Not all are lucky to have the money

[2dancersmum]

I too think the age range is quite peculiar for this and anaballerina I think the playing field is perhaps more level than you think.  Vocational students will be going into professional work from age 18/19 and no-one is likely to turn down a professional contract in favour of a competition surely so that leaves it open to only 16-18 year olds.  An 18 year old is about to enter their final year of training - and the times of the competition must surely clash with many of the graduate year's assessments (by external Trinity assessors) or for many schools with their 'performance tour'.  I seriously doubt DD would be able to enter.  So then you have the 16-17 year olds.  A typical school day for DD at this age was 8am to 6:30 pm or later with optional after school classes.  Added to which there was A level homework/coursework and written work and research for her diploma - very little free time indeed to work on any solos required for this competition and certainly no class time or working with a teacher.  Non-vocational students tend to have a bit more leeway with their teachers and time to cover work for competitions/festivals etc

 

Re age on other dance styles in the competition - DDs friend was a qualified teacher and started her own hip hop and street classes at 16, having taken all relevant exams and teaching qualifications so I don't think that dance style requires the extra years of experience.

[Pas de Quatre]

Not all Vocational students will be looking for work at 18/19.  A friend of dd waited until she was 18 to audition and is currently in 1st year of one of the major London classical schools - and I doubt if she is the only one.

[Tulip]

I don't think my daughter would be interested in this competition at all. You are right dancer mum final year will be so full on that I don't know where they would find the time, even for non vocational students, as that is A level exam time or first year of Uni.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I wonder if the age is to avoid licensing issues.

 

Young Musician is seen as a springboard to a career but as its definatly pre- conservatoire training it's odd that they have gone for post age group in this case.

[Tulip]

Perhaps the standard of the competition is looking for older more advanced students, especially for boys as boys take longer to develop?

[rowan]

I wonder if there is a precise definition of what is meant by:

• You must not be - and nor should you ever have been - employed on a professional, full-time contract as a dancer.

Does this include those who may have had short-term or temporary contracts, such as those taken on for the ENB in-the-round productions or for just a season, for example, for some Ballet Ireland productions? Are these deemed full-time contracts?

[Jazzpaws]

Presumably vocational students will need their schools permission to enter - will be interesting to see as to whether they will give it their support. 

I agree Kat - as our DD's are starting vocational school next month, this seems a bit of distraction - no doubt if their schools want them involved they will soon let them know x

[Anna C]

It does say that if you have trouble finding a pdd partner, the competition will help you to find one.

 

Not sure if I've missed it, but I couldn't see any info about the judges, and who they will be? I hope none of the decisions will come down to a public vote.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

It does say that if you have trouble finding a pdd partner, the competition will help you to find one.

 

Not sure if I've missed it, but I couldn't see any info about the judges, and who they will be? I hope none of the decisions will come down to a public vote.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Well they don't for Young Musician it's a panel of judges so hopefully this one will be similar

[Yaffa]

They have a Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/bbcyoungdancer

 

Yaffa

[Moneypenny]

Having seen dd's timetable for 6.1, I seriously doubt there would be time to prepare for this, even if the school were to agree to participation. Quite where a vocational school would find the time and resources to prepare several students for this without major distraction/disruption is beyond me.

[Ian Macmillan]

The competition was formally launched today, see below.  A fair proportion of the UK's ballet great and good will be involved in some way, it seems:

 

Matthew Hemley, The Stage

Anita Singh, Telegraph

Rebecca Thomas, BBC News

[Harwel]

That looks worth doing, with so many top names attached to it. Let's hope it's a huge success.