Adam Linder was tonight named winner of The Place Prize for Dance 2008, sponsored by Bloomberg. Linder, the third winner of the biennial competition for British-based choreographers, receives a prize of £25,000 for his work which offers a critique of modern behaviours of mass consumption.

Australian-born Linder choreographed Foie Gras, one of 20 original contemporary dance pieces commissioned to compete for The Place Prize. The duet, performed by Linder with dancer Lorena Randi, parodies an evolution from galumphing sub-human animals, to mincing catwalk models, to self-obsessed pole dancers.

Linder was selected by a panel of judges including poet Lemn Sissay and architect John Pawson, following a 10-night run of performances of the works of the five finalists in the competition. At 25 he is the youngest of the choreographers commissioned, and Foie Gras is only the third professional work he has created for the stage. He is relatively inexperienced in comparison to other finalists including the celebrated choreographer Aletta Collins, and Dam Van Huynh, whose piece won all 10 of the nightly audience votes and who therefore wins £10,000.

Linder began his career as a dancer with The Royal Ballet, before he – in his own words – “just got bored with it” and began working with contemporary dance choreographers including Michael Clark and former Place Prize winner Rafael Bonachela.

John Ashford, Theatre Director of The Place and creator of the biennial prize, said:
 
"If this year we have a 'shock' winner, it is thanks to The Place Prize creating a level playing field for new choreographic voices to compete with their more established counterparts. The judges have chosen Adam's work as the best from a rich and diverse field of 20 commissioned pieces, and just may have discovered a new dance star."

Linder follows in the footsteps of past winners of the prize, Rafael Bonachela and Nina Rajarani. The Place Prize is the dance world’s cross between the Turner Prize and the X Factor, with the former’s celebration of artistic excellence and the latter’s knack for uncovering new talent with the help of a live audience. It is Europe’s largest choreography competition and is produced by The Place, the UK’s premier centre for contemporary dance. The biennial competition is now in its third edition, and by the end of this year’s event The Place Prize will have invested £750,000 in developing choreographic talent, including a total commissioning, performing and prize fund of £165,000 for this year’s participants.
 
Adam Linder
Adam, 25, has danced with The Royal Ballet, Netherlans Dans Theater, Michael Clark Company and Bonachela Dance Company. In 2005 he created Over My Dead Body for The Lucent Theatre, Holland. In 2006, he set up Collectnudes.com, an online exhibition and archive of short film in collaboration with photographer Will Davidson. Their films have been broadcast on UK, Australian and Spanish Television. In 2008 he created The Perfect Score for Resolution! at The Place and presented an installation entitled I Put My Trust In You at The Palais De Tokyo, Paris.

Foie Gras is about what fuels the current climate of material, information and entertainment overload.  This work observes a demise of sensuality within inter-personal interaction as a result of the immediacy of over consumption.
 
Ends

Notes to Editors
 
The other four finalists in this year’s Place Prize for Dance were:
•    Aletta Collins for Lap Dancer  
•    Simon Ellis for Gertrud
•    Dam Van Huynh for Collision
•    Anna Williams for Clearing

The judges were:
•    John Ashford, creator of The Prize and Theatre Director of The Place (Chair of judges)
•    Kenneth Kvarnström, choreographer
•    John Pawson, architect and designer
•    Lemn Sissay, poet
•    Kathleen Soriano, curator and gallery director
•    Jenny Waldman, events producer and consultant

Published: 27 September 2008