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The 2008 winner is Christopher Wheeldon
The nominations for 2008 were:
Wayne Eagling, Liam Scarlett and Christopher Wheeldon
More information about each choreographer is given below:
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Resolution - Wayne Eagling
(English National Ballet)
The former Royal Ballet star Wayne Eagling became artistic director of English National Ballet in 2005, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he created his first work for the company. Resolution, which premiered at London’s Festival Hall, was inspired by the courage and spirit of young boys Eagling met who were suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and the horrifying degenerative muscle weakness that entails. Resolution is set to music by Mahler (the five Ruckert songs) and is remembered for its final male trio, in which two dancers share the burden of a third, who seems gripped by an inevitable paralysis.
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Of Mozart - Liam Scarlett
(The Royal Ballet)
Scarlett’s choreographic ability came to the fore while he was still a student at the Royal Ballet School. He won three awards for choreography before he graduated in 2005 and joined The Royal Ballet as a dancer. He has created works for the company and the school, as well as for Ballet Black and galas around the world. His nomination is for Of Mozart, performed by Royal Ballet dancers in a season of new works in the Linbury Studio Theatre. His promising reputation was confirmed in an ambitious and successful piece to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23.
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Electric Counterpoint - Christopher Wheeldon
(The Royal Ballet)
The title of the ballet is that of Steve Reich's music for solo guitar. Premiered by The Royal Ballet in February, it marked a new departure for Christopher Wheeldon, attesting to his adventurousness, inventiveness and versatility. Made specifically for four well-contrasted dancers - Zenaida Yanowsky, Sarah Lamb, Edward Watson and Eric Underwood - it afforded them every chance to shine, first in solos to Bach, after personal spoken introductions, later with pas de deux and a final quartet to Reich. Central importance was accorded to Jean Marc Puissant's designs, Natasha Chivers' lighting and, particularly, the ingenious use of video projections devised by Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, which frequently gave the impression that the dancers were appearing simultaneously on the front stage and behind a screen.
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Picture credits
Christopher Hampson © Bill Cooper,
Wayne Eagling © Oliver Lim,
Liam Scarlett © Ryoichi Hirano,
Christopher Wheeldon © Paul Kolnik.
All text is © copyright of the Critics' Circle / National Dance Awards. |
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