Monday 11 June will see English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer competition held at the London Coliseum for the first time. Emerging Dancer is a key part of English National Ballet’s commitment to developing and nurturing talent.
Through this annual event, English National Ballet recognises the excellence of its artists. Selected by their peers, six of the company’s most promising dancers perform in front of a panel of judges, before one receives the Emerging Dancer Award.
Last year’s joint Emerging Dancer Award winners, Aitor Arrieta and Rina Kanehara, have since been promoted to Soloist and Junior Soloist respectively, and have performed principal roles in Nutcracker, Akram Khan’s Giselle, La Sylphide and Song of the Earth.
The 2018 finalists are:
Precious Adams
Trained at the National Ballet School of Canada; Academy Princess Grace Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Moscow, Adams joined English National Ballet in 2014. She was promoted to First Artist in 2017 and has danced in works including William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Pina Bausch’s Le sacre du printemps, Song of the Earth, and Elite Syncopations.
Fernando Carratalá Coloma
Coloma joined English National Ballet in 2017 as an Artist of the Company, having previously danced with Victor Ullate Ballet in Spain. Since joining the company, he has performed the principal roles of Nutcracker, and as the Messenger of Death in Song of the Earth.
Giorgio Garrett
Garrett trained at Palma’s Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and at the Royal Ballet School. He joined English National Ballet as an Artist of the Company in 2016 from The National Ballet of Canada. Giorgio has danced in works including Akram Khan’s Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, Nutcracker, Song of the Earth and La Sylphide.
Daniel McCormick
Having trained with Ballet San Jose School, San Francisco Ballet School and Houston Ballet School, McCormick danced with Houston Ballet before joining English National Ballet in 2017 as an Artist of the Company. He has danced in productions including Song of the Earth, La Sylphide and Nutcracker.
Francesca Velicu
Velicu trained at the Choreography High School Floria Capsali, Bucharest and at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy before dancing with Romanian National Ballet. Since joining English National Ballet in 2016 she has been promoted to First Artist in 2017 and has performed in Pina Bausch’s Le sacre du printemps, La Sylphide and Nutcracker.
Connie Vowles
Vowles joined English National Ballet as an Artist of the Company in 2016. Having previously trained at the Royal Ballet School she joined The Royal Ballet on their US tour, and Birmingham Royal Ballet on their tour of Swan Lake. Vowles has danced in Romeo & Juliet, La Sylphide and Nutcracker.