Sadler’s Wells launches international dance prize
We’re launching an international dance prize to celebrate creativity in the art form and champion new work from across the globe.
Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive, said:
Prizes like the Booker, Oliviers, and Turner have all managed to attract media and public attention, which raise the profile of the art forms they feature, as well as the artists who are shortlisted or win. It is our intention to create a similar prize for dance, which does not currently exist at a scale or stature of these industry-defining prizes. I am so grateful for the very generous donation that has made The Rose Prize possible.
14 nominators made up of presenters, artists, producers and writers from seven regions of the world – North America, South America, Africa, Europe, East Asia, South East Asia and Australasia – will put forward a long list of pieces to be considered. New works premiered between October 2021 and February 2023 are eligible for the first edition of The Sadler’s Wells Rose International Dance Prize. A shortlist of six will be chosen by an international panel of six selectors and announced in April 2024. The initial selection of works will be from filmed recordings of productions.
The six finalists will present their work on our stages over the course of two weeks in spring 2025, so that the public and jury will be able to see the work live. The winners will be decided by a jury of five UK-based judges. The works will also be available to view online. The winners will be announced at a gala, which will feature performances from other artists as well as clips of the six finalists’ work.
A prize of £40,000 will be awarded to a full-length performance of 50 minutes or longer, and a prize for £15,000 will be awarded to a shorter piece of 20 – 30 minutes by a choreographer with a maximum of five years’ experience. There will also be an opportunity for audiences to have their say, with an online vote to choose an audience winner.
Alistair Spalding continued:
Dance speaks an international language, and as Sadler’s Wells is an international theatre it is the perfect host for such a prize. Powerful choreography reaches audiences across the world, and winners and finalists will benefit from the profile that The Rose Prize will bestow.