English National Ballet: Emerging Dancer 2020 – future stars soar
English National Ballet is back from lockdown with the 11th annual Emerging Dancer Competition, a chance for the company’s younger members to make their mark. The audience remains at home, however, with Strictly winner Ore Oduba presenting a live stream from ENB’s vast new HQ in London’s Docklands, with a masked-up, socially distanced orchestra linked from the studio above. You can catch up on-demand until 29 September, so if you don’t want to know the winner yet, don’t read on.
The six finalists perform as pairs in two duets each, one classical, one contemporary. Miguel Angel Maidana may be the most instantly impressive dancer, with his soaring jumps. He and partner Carolyne Galvao provide the most dazzling of the classical showpieces, Diana and Actaeon. Galvao makes a great entrance, sparky and confident straight out of the blocks and pulls off at least two dozen fouettés. Their contemporary duet shows them finely tuned to each other, in a taut, precise, grown-up piece of choreography, Both of Two, by Jeffrey Cirio.
Emily Suzuki transforms across the evening. Brightly competent in Petipa’s Satanella pas de deux, giving us a perfect 180-degree penchée, things turn darker in Stina Quagebeur’s Hollow, as a woman numb on the surface, haunted inside. Her partner Victor Prigent lifts, catches and chases her, the swirling choreography built on the shifting momentum of their bodies. Prigent comes across as a capable and versatile dancer, clean and assured in his classical jumps, solid and sensitive in his partnering.
Ivana Bueno gets the chance to show many colours. She’s engagingly characterful in her classical pas de deux (Petipa’s The Talisman), dancing with easy lyricism. In the contemporary duet Full Out, choreographer Mthuthuzeli November gives Bueno and partner William Yamada lots to work with: changes in attack and speed, fulsome physicality. Bueno squeezes the juice out of some steps, is studiedly casual elsewhere. There’s huge enjoyment to be had in just watching Bueno’s own enjoyment, and the judges – including Royal Ballet dancers Edward Watson and Natalia Osipova – evidently agree, awarding her the night’s big prize. Prigent takes the audience award, voted for by the online viewers. Remember their names.
