The Place Prize for dance 2010, sponsored by Bloomberg, has commissioned 16 new works to compete for the biggest and most prestigious prize in British contemporary dance.
Any UK-based choreographer can enter The Place Prize by submitting a three-minute video outlining an idea for an original dance work of up to 20 minutes in length. 16 entrants have been selected and given everything they need to create their new works: studio time, technical support and a commission fee of £5,000. The successful entrants will also be able to bid for up to £2,000 extra funding for their production costs.
The 16 commissions will be presented at The Place in preview and semi-final performances in September 2010. The work which receives the highest rating as voted by the semi-final audiences will be selected as a finalist, along with three pieces chosen by a panel of dance experts. The four finalists will be funded to re-rehearse their works ahead of finals performances at The Place in April 2011, where they will compete for £10,000 of audience-voted prizes, and a panel of judges will select The Place Prize winner, who will receive £25,000.
This is the fourth edition of The Place Prize, which was created in 2004 as a biennial competition to put Britain’s contemporary choreographers in the spotlight through supporting the creation of their works. It is the biggest single source of commissions for Britain’s independent choreographers, and the works created often remain in artists’ repertoire for years after the competition and are seen around the world. By the conclusion of this latest edition, The Place Prize will have enabled the creation of 76 works and invested over £1 million in new dance.
“We’ve made a few changes to this year’s Place Prize. The competition will be tougher, as we’re commissioning four less works, but there’s more money for the selected artists, and more flexibility about the work they create. None of this would be possible without Bloomberg’s continuing support, which is a wonderful endorsement of the vitality of The Place Prize. I’m looking forward to the best edition yet!”
Eddie Nixon, Director of Theatre and Artist Development at The Place
Aletta Collins's Lap Dancer (2008 Place Prize finalist)
Rafael Bonachela's E2 7SD (2004 Place Prize winner)