English National Ballet Emerging Dancer London Coliseum Monday 11 June 2018 Performance at 7.30pm Tickets: £12 - £35 Box office: 020 7845 9300 and www.ballet.org.uk/emerging

On Monday 11 June 2018, ’s Emerging Dancer competition will be held at the London Coliseum for the first time.

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 an eminent panel of expert judges, before one receives the 2018 Emerging Dancer Award.

The recipients of the People's Choice Award, selected by members of the public, and the Corps de Ballet Award, acknowledging the work on and off-stage of a member of the Corps de Ballet, will also be revealed.

The finalists will perform a pas de deux, followed by a solo. This year will see Precious Adams and Fernando Carratalá Coloma performing Petipa’s Harlequinade pas de deux; Francesca Velicu and Daniel McCormick perform a pas de deux from English National Ballet’s ; and Connie Vowles and Giorgio Garrett perform a pas de deux from Bournonville’s William Tell.

Precious Adams will then perform a new solo choreographed by Mthuthuzeli November, Junior Artist of Ballet Black; Francesca Velicu will perform Toccata, a new work choreographed by Royal Ballet of Flanders Principal and former English National Ballet First Artist, Nancy Osbaldeston; and Connie Vowles will perform a new piece by Royal Ballet Young Choreographer, Charlotte Edmonds.

Fernando Carratalá Coloma will go on to perform new choreography by Victor Ullate Ballet dancer, Mariano Cardano; Giorgio Garrett will perform Fraudulent Smile by choreographer Ross Freddie Ray; and Daniel McCormick will perform a solo from Leatherwing Bat by American dancer and choreographer Trey McIntyre.

The finalists are being coached for their performances by their peers in the Company. Pedro Lapetra and Junor Souza are working on Le Corsaire with Francesca Velicu and Daniel McCormick; Fernanda Oliveira and Barry Drummond are helping Connie Vowles and Giorgio Garrett prepare for William Tell; and Crystal Costa and Fernando Bufalá are rehearsing Harlequinade with Precious Adams and Fernando Carratalá Coloma. Additional coaching is also being given by Joseph Caley, Maria José Sales and Shevelle Dynott.

Also on the night, last year’s joint Emerging Dancer Award winners, Aitor Arrieta and Rina Kanehara will perform the pas de deux from Act III of The Sleeping Beauty, whilst the winner of the 2017 People’s Choice Award, Georgia Bould, will perform an extract from La Sylphide.

Casting and repertoire is subject to change. Please see www.ballet.org.uk for up-to- date details.

For further information, interview requests and images please contact Alice Gibson, Senior Press Officer at [email protected] or call 020 7590 2932.

For further information about English National Ballet and to book tickets visit www.ballet.org.uk Please note performance details are subject to change.

Notes to editors:

The 2018 Emerging Dancer finalists:

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 following her double prize win at the Prix de Lausanne in 2014. She was promoted to First Artist in 2017 and has danced with the company in works including In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, ’s Le sacre du printemps, Song of the Earth, Elite Syncopations at the Royal Opera House as part of ‘Kenneth MacMillan: A National Celebration’, and most recently William Forsythe’s Approximate Sonata 2016 as part of Voices of America.

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. Most recently, he performed in William Forsythe’s Approximate Sonata 2016 as part of Voices of America.

Giorgio Garrett Garrett trained at Palma’s Conservatoire of Music and Dance and at School. He joined English National Ballet as an Artist of the Company in 2016 from The National Ballet of Canada. In 2011, Giorgio was awarded the ‘Encouragement and Potential Award’ at Young British Dancer of the Year, followed by the ‘Commendation Award’ in 2012. Giorgio has danced with English National Ballet in works including ’s Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, Song of the Earth, La Sylphide in which he danced the role of Gurn, and most recently in William Forsythe’s new work for the Company, Playlist (Track 1,2) as part of Voices of America.

Daniel McCormick Having trained with Ballet San Jose School, School and Houston Ballet School, McCormick danced with Houston Ballet before joining English National Ballet in 2017 as an Artist of the Company. Whilst with the company, he has danced in productions including Song of the Earth; La Sylphide; Nutcracker, in which he danced the Spanish divertissement; and in Voices of America in which he performed in Aszure Barton’s Fantastic Beings and in William Forsythe’s new work, Playlist (Track 1,2).

Francesca Velicu Velicu trained at the Choreography High School Floria Capsali, Bucharest and at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy before dancing with Romanian National Ballet. She was awarded second place at the 2013 Youth America Grand Prix in the Junior Category and was a Gold Medal winner at the 2012 World Ballet Competition. Since joining English National Ballet in 2016 she has been promoted to First Artist in 2017 and has performed roles including Effy in La Sylphide, Clara in Nutcracker, and as The Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le sacre du printemps for which she was awarded the 2018 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. Velicu’s most recent performances were in the Voices of America programme in Aszure Barton’s Fantastic Beings and Jerome Robbins’ The Cage.

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 . Since joining the Company, Vowles has danced in La Sylphide as a Lead Sylph; in Nutcracker as Louise/Mirliton and as a Lead Snowflake; and as the Novice in recent performances of Jerome Robbins’ The Cage as part of Voices of America. In 2017, she performed in Space for Everyone, an original short film made in collaboration with English National Ballet, the V&A, and Boiler Room.

About English National Ballet English National Ballet has a long and distinguished history. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by the great English Dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, it has played a major role in the growth and history of ballet in the UK. Today, English National Ballet is renowned for taking world-class ballet to the widest possible audience through its national and international tour programme, offsite performances at festivals including Glastonbury and Latitude, its distinguished orchestra English National Ballet Philharmonic, and being a UK leader in creative learning and engagement practice and delivery, building innovative partnerships to deliver flagship programmes such as English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s. Under the artistic directorship of , English National Ballet has gained new acclaim as it introduces innovative new works to the Company’s repertoire while continuing to honour and reinvigorate traditional ballet.