The Semi-Finals of The Place Prize for dance, sponsored by Bloomberg, take place this September. 16 newly commissioned original dance works will be premiered at The Place, competing for the biggest and most prestigious prize in British dance. Four of the works will be selected to go forward to the Finals performances in April 2011.
The new works will be presented in four mixed programmes, and each programme has a preview performance (9 - 18 September) ahead of its Semi-Final (18 - 25 September). The most popular work as voted for by the audience will be selected for the Finals programme, along with three works chosen by a panel of expert judges.
The judging panel for The Place Prize Semi-Finals is:
- Shobana Jeyasingh, choreographer, Artistic Director, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company
- Sanjoy Roy, dance writer for The Guardian, New Statesman and other publications
- Janet Smith, choreographer, Artistic Director, Scottish Dance Theatre
- Alistair Spalding, Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Sadler’s Wells
- Laurie Uprichard, Director, Dublin Dance Festival
The panel will be chaired by Eddie Nixon, Director of Theatre and Artist Development at The Place. The four finalists will present their works at The Place from 6 - 16 April 2011, where they will compete for will compete for £10,000 of audience voted prizes, and an overall winner, chosen by a new panel of judges, will receive £25,000.
The Place Prize is open to all UK-based dance artists creating work in a contemporary idiom. It is the biggest single source of commissions for new short works in British dance. In three editions to date it has enabled the creation of 60 new works, most of which have remained in artists’ repertoires, and which have been performed throughout the UK and around the world. The competition has brought leading artists including Rafael Bonachela, Hofesh Shechter and Bawren Tavaziva to national and international attention. By the completion of this fourth edition, The Place Prize will have invested over £1 million in new British dance.