Eurovision Young Dancers

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Eurovision Young Dancers
Eurovision Young Dancers generic logo.svg
Also known asEurovision Competition for Young Dancers
GenreDance contest
Country of origin List of countries
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes15 contests
Production
Production locations List of host cities
Running time90 minutes (2011–2017)
Production company European Broadcasting Union
Original release
Release16 June 1985 (1985-06-16) 
16 December 2017 (2017-12-16)
Related
Eurovision Young Musicians

Eurovision Young Dancers (French : L'Eurovision des Jeunes Danseurs), often shortened to EYD, or Young Dancers, was a biennial dance competition, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) between members of the union, who participate representing their countries. Broadcasters from thirty-seven countries have taken part since the first contest in 1985. [a]

Contents

Performers between the ages of 16 and 21 appointed by the participating broadcasters, compete as solo of couples to dance routines of their choice. Professional jury members each representing the elements of ballet, contemporary, and modern dancing, score each of the performances. The two participants which receive the most overall points advance to a televised 'dance-off' final, where the winner is decided by the jury.

Spain is the most successful country in the competition, having won five times: 1985, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997, but has never hosted. On 16 December 2017, the fifteenth and most recent edition took place in Prague, Czech Republic, and was won by Paulina Bidzińska representing Poland, with Patricija Crnkovič representing Slovenia placing second (runner-up).

History

French-born ballet dancer Zenaida Yanowsky won the fifth contest for Spain in 1993. Zenaida Yanowsky Sylvia.jpg
French-born ballet dancer Zenaida Yanowsky won the fifth contest for Spain in 1993.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) holds two biennial youth competitions in alternate years, with Eurovision Young Dancers taking place in odd-numbered years and Eurovision Young Musicians in even-numbered years. [1] The inaugural Eurovision Young Dancers contest –then known as Eurovision Competition for Young Dancers–, took place in Reggio Emilia, Italy, on 16 June 1985. [2] EBU member broadcasters from twelve countries competed in the first contest. Spain won that first edition, with Arantxa Argüelles. Norway with by Arne Fagerholt, and Sweden with Mia Stagh and Göran Svalberg, came second and third respectively. [3]

Broadcasters from a total of thirty-seven countries have competed at least once since 1985. [4] Canada is the only non-European country that has been represented in the contest (as well as the only country in the Americas to have ever participated in a Eurovision event), however their broadcaster, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), is an associate member of the EBU. [5] Eurovision Young Dancers is also the only Eurovision event to feature a country whose broadcaster is neither a full nor associate member of the EBU, as Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) made their sole appearance in 2011 representing Kosovo (although it has broadcast other Eurovision events for many years). Bulgaria's debut and only appearance in 1991 also marked the first participation of a former Warsaw Pact country in a Eurovision event, as well as the longest gap between a country's debut at another Eurovision event prior to appearing at the Eurovision Song Contest (with fourteen years separating their Young Dancers debut and their Song Contest debut).[ citation needed ]

In the entire history of the event, only three contests (2007, 2009 and 2019) have never occurred. Eurovision Young Dancers 2007 was cancelled to allow the Prix de Lausanne, a similar event organised by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR idée suisse to take place at the same venue. The decision to cancel the contest was mutually agreed between the host broadcaster and the EBU. [6] The following contest was due to be held on 19 June 2009 at the Dance House in Oslo, however was eventually cancelled due to a lack of interest from broadcasters. [7] The contest would eventually be held again in 2011 when the format was revived as a prime time show. [8]

On 23 January 2017, the EBU announced that Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), who agreed to host the event in July 2015, had been forced to cancel their staging of the competition. The EBU also stated it was looking for another host broadcaster but should one not be found in time the competition would not take place this year and is expected to return in 2019. [9] On 18 May 2017, Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) confirmed that they would host the contest for a second time. [10]

On 20 December 2018, the contest was cancelled due to the absence of a broadcaster willing to host the competition. As of that time, Malta and Poland were the only eligible countries to have confirmed their intention to participate in the contest. [11] In October 2020, the EBU ruled out bringing the contest back until further notice. [12]

Format

The generic logo used for the 2011, 2013 and 2015 editions of the contest. Eurovision Young Dancers logo.png
The generic logo used for the 2011, 2013 and 2015 editions of the contest.

The format has been roughly the same since the 1985 inauguration of the competition. All competing dancers are to be non-professional and between the ages of 16–21. Participants may consist of solo or couples, with each performing a dance routine of their choice, which they have prepared in advance of the competition. All of the acts then take part in a choreographed group dance during 'Young Dancers Week'. [13]

From 1989 to 2003, a semi-final round took place a few days before the contest, and the jury decided as well which countries qualified for the televised final. In the 2003 contest, the professional jury voted electronically, immediately following each act, awarding points for technique and artistry. For the 2005 contest, the traditional format was changed. A week of dance master classes replaced the semi-final round. Florence Clerc, Irek Mukhamedow, Christopher Bruce and Piotr Nardelli were the dance teachers selected to work with the participants and tasked to select the ten finalists out of the 13 participating countries.[ citation needed ]

In 1989 and 2003, the contest awarded two sets of first prize, one for classical and one for contemporary dance. Two jury's special prizes were also handed out in 1989 and an additional "Youth Jury" prize was awarded in 2003, chosen by a panel of dance enthusiasts in the audience.[ citation needed ]

The format was revamped in 2011 to include a 'final duel' round and the semi-finals are removed due to the low number of participating countries. Jury members of a professional aspect and representing the elements of ballet, contemporary, and modern dancing styles, score each of the competing individual and group dance routines. Once all the jury votes have been counted, the two participants which received the highest total of points progress to a final round. The final round consists of a 90-second 'dual', were each of the finalists perform a 45-second random dance-off routine. The overall winner upon completion of the final dances is chosen by the professional jury members. [13]

Participation

Eligible participants include primarily active member broadcasters (as opposed to associate members) of the EBU. Active members are located in countries that fall within the European Broadcasting Area, or are member states of the Council of Europe. [14]

The European Broadcasting Area is defined by the International Telecommunication Union: [15]

The "European Broadcasting Area" is bounded on the west by the western boundary of Region 1, on the east by the meridian 40° East of Greenwich and on the south by the parallel 30° North so as to include the northern part of Saudi Arabia and that part of those countries bordering the Mediterranean within these limits. In addition, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and those parts of the territories of Iraq, Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and Ukraine lying outside the above limits are included in the European Broadcasting Area. [b]

The western boundary of Region 1 is defined by a line running from the North Pole along meridian 10° West of Greenwich to its intersection with parallel 72° North; thence by great circle arc to the intersection of meridian 50° West and parallel 40° North; thence by great circle arc to the intersection of meridian 20° West and parallel 10° South; thence along meridian 20° West to the South Pole. [17]

Active members are broadcasting organisations whose transmissions are made available to at least 98% of households in their own country which are equipped to receive such transmissions. If an EBU active member broadcaster wishes to participate, it must fulfil conditions as laid down by the rules of the contest (of which a separate copy is drafted annually). [14]

Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of Europe, despite the "Euro" in "Eurovision" – nor does it have any relation to the European Union. Kosovo, a partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe, is the only country in Europe who does not yet have EBU members, but has participated once in 2011. [18] Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have competed: Cyprus and Armenia, in Western Asia (both are members of the Council of Europe with Cyprus as a member state of the European Union). Each made their début at Young Dancers in 1989 and 2013 respectively. [19] [20] In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed: Russia, since 1995; [21] Canada in North America, despite only being an associate member of the EBU, have competed twice, in 1987 and 1989. [5]

Broadcasters from thirty-six countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their début: [4]

Participation since 1985:
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Entered at least once
Never entered, although eligible to do so
Competed as a part of another country (Yugoslavia), but never as a sovereign nation Eurovision Young Dancers Participants.svg
Participation since 1985:
  Entered at least once
  Never entered, although eligible to do so
  Competed as a part of another country (Yugoslavia), but never as a sovereign nation
YearCountry making its début entry
1985
  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Norway
  • Netherlands
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • United Kingdom
1987
  • Austria
  • Canada
  • Yugoslavia
1989
  • Cyprus
  • Portugal
1991
  • Bulgaria
1993
  • Estonia
  • Greece
  • Poland
  • Slovenia
1995
  • Hungary
  • Russia
1997
  • Latvia
  • Slovakia
1999
  • Czech Republic
2001
  • Ireland
  • Ukraine
2003
  • Armenia
  • Romania
2011
  • Croatia
  • Kosovo
2013
  • Belarus
2015
  • Albania
  • Malta

Hosting

Most of the expenses of the contest are covered by commercial sponsors, the host broadcaster, and contributions from the other participating broadcasters. The contest is considered to be a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination. The table below shows a list of cities and venues that have hosted Eurovision Young Dancers, one or more times. Future venues are shown in italics. With three contests, Poland is the country having hosted the most editions. [22]

Host cities of the Eurovision Young Dancers
A single contest
Multiple contests Eurovision Young Dancers all cities.svg
Host cities of the Eurovision Young Dancers
  A single contest
  Multiple contests
ContestsCountryCityVenueYears
3Flag of Poland.svg Poland Gdynia Teatr Muzyczny 1997
Warsaw National Theatre 2005
Gdańsk Baltic State Opera 2013
2Flag of the Czech Republic.svg CZE Plzeň New Theatre 2015
Prague Congress Centre 2017
Flag of France.svg France Paris Palais des Congrès 1989
Lyon Opéra de Lyon 1999
1Flag of Italy.svg Italy Reggio Emilia Teatro Municipale 1985
Flag of Germany.svg Germany Schwetzingen Schwetzingen Palace Theatre 1987
Flag of Finland.svg Finland Helsinki Helsinki City Theatre 1991
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden Stockholm Dance House 1993
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland [c] Lausanne [c] Palais de Beaulieu 1995
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom London Linbury Studio Theatre 2001
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg 2003
Flag of Norway.svg Norway Oslo Dance House 2011

Winners

Sixteen performances have won the Eurovision Young Dancers competition. There have been fourteen editions, with each having a winner, second, and third places for all dance styles combined, with exception to the 1989 edition which awarded first place for contemporary and classical dance categories; and the 2003 edition which gave first place prizes for ballet, modern dance, and a 'Youth Jury Choice' categories. From 2011 onwards, there have only been prizes awarded to the winner and runner-up. [4] Below is a breakdown of those winners, by individual event and number of wins per country.

Winners by year

YearDateHost CityNo.Winner(s)Performer(s)Dance
1985 16 June Flag of Italy.svg Reggio Emilia 12Flag of Spain.svg Spain Arantxa Argüelles  [ es ]Unknown
1987 31 May Flag of Germany.svg Schwetzingen 14Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark Rose Gad Poulsen and Nikolaj Hübbe Divertissement from La Sylphide
1989 28 June Flag of France.svg Paris 17Flag of France.svg France [d] Agnès Letestu
(Contemporary dance)
Grand pas classique
Notre Dame de Paris
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom [d] Tetsuya Kumakawa
(Classical ballet)
Don Quixote
Kolya's variation
1991 5 June Flag of Finland.svg Helsinki 15Flag of Spain.svg Spain Amaya Iglesias Variations from La Grisi
1993 15 June Flag of Sweden.svg Stockholm 15 Zenaida Yanowsky Esmeralda
1995 6 June Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Lausanne 15 Jesús Pastor Sahuquillo and Ruth Miró Salvador Arrayan Daraxa
1997 17 June Flag of Poland.svg Gdynia 13 Antonio Carmena San José Angelitos Locos
1999 10 July Flag of France.svg Lyon 16Flag of Germany.svg Germany Stegli Yohan and Katja Wünsche  [ de ]Cinderella
2001 23 June Flag of the United Kingdom.svg London 18Flag of Poland.svg Poland David Kupinski and Marcin Kupinski Brothers
2003 4 July Flag of the Netherlands.svg Amsterdam 17Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine [e] Jerlin Ndudi (Ballet)Le Corsaire
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden [e] Kristina Oom and Sebastian Michanek  [ sv ](Modern dance)Light Beings
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic [e] Monika Hejduková and Viktor Konvalinka (Youth Jury Choice)The Twilight Of Innocence
2005 24 June Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw 13Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Milou Nuyens  [ nl ]Snakesense
2011 24 June Flag of Norway.svg Oslo 10Flag of Norway.svg Norway Daniel Sarr Full Force
2013 14 June Flag of Poland.svg Gdańsk 10Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands Sedrig Verwoert  [ nl ]The 5th Element
2015 19 June Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Plzeň 10Flag of Poland.svg Poland Viktoria Nowak Piece in Old Style
2017 16 December Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Prague 8 Paulina Bidzińska La Certa

Winners by country

The table below shows the top-three placings from each contest, along with the years that a country won the contest.

Map showing each country's number of Young Dancers wins up to and including 2017 Eurovision Young Dancers winners map.svg
Map showing each country's number of Young Dancers wins up to and including 2017
CountryGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgTotalYears won
Flag of Spain.svg Spain5016
Flag of Poland.svg Poland3104
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands2024
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden1225 2003
Flag of France.svg France1113 1989
Flag of Germany.svg Germany1113 1999
Flag of Norway.svg Norway1102 2011
Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark1012 1987
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic1001 2003
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom1001 1989
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine1001 2003
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia0303
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium0224
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland0202
Flag of Romania.svg Romania0101
Flag of Austria.svg Austria0011
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia0011

Presenters

YearPresenter(s)Backstage host
1985 Carla Fracci and Gheorghe Iancu  [ it ]Not present
1987 Margot Werner
1989 Zizi Jeanmaire and Alain Duault  [ fr ]
1991 Taina Elg and Heikki Värtsi  [ fi ]
1993 Anneli Alhanko and John Chrispinsson
1995 Géraldine Chaplin and Jean-Pierre Pastori  [ fr ]
1997 Grażyna Torbicka  [ pl ] and Bogusław Kaczyński (semi-final)
Henk van der Meulen (final)
1999 Alex Taylor
2001 Deborah Bull
2003 Aldith Hunkar  [ nl ]
2005 Agata Konarska  [ pl ]
2011 Erik Solbakken
2013 Tomasz Kammel  [ pl ] Michael Nunn and William Trevitt
2015 Libor Bouček  [ cs ]Cameron McMillan
2017 Libor Bouček and Angeé Roučková  [ cs ]Not present

Notes

  1. Including Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) from Kosovo (a non-EBU member) and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from Canada (an EBU associate member).
  2. The European Broadcasting Area was expanded in November 2007 by the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-07), also to include Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. [15] [16]
  3. 1 2 The Eurovision Young Dancers 2007 would have taken place in Lausanne on 4 February 2007. However, the competition was cancelled in a mutual decision between the European Broadcasting Union and Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR idée suisse, who both collaborated on the production of a similar dance competition, Prix de Lausanne, held in Lausanne. If the contest had taken place, then Lausanne and Switzerland would have hosted twice. [6]
  4. 1 2 The Eurovision Young Dancers 1989 event had two sets of first prize, one for contemporary dance (awarded to France) and one for classical dance (awarded to United Kingdom). [23]
  5. 1 2 3 The Eurovision Young Dancers 2003 event had three sets of first prize, one for modern dance (awarded to Sweden), one for ballet (awarded to Ukraine), and the 'Youth Jury Choice' (awarded to Czech Republic). [24]

References

  1. "Eurovision Young Dancers - Synopsis". ukgameshows.com. UK Games Shows. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. "Eurovision Young Dancers". ebu.ch. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. "1st Eurovision Young Dancers 1985". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Eurovision Young Dancers - History by country". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Canada in the Eurovision Young Dancers". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Eurovision Young Dancers 2007". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  7. "Eurovision Young Dancers 2009". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  8. "Eurovision Young Dancers revamped for prime time". Eurovision.tv. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  9. "Update on Eurovision Young Dancers 2017". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  10. Granger, Anthony (18 May 2017). "Czech Republic: Confirmed as new host country of Eurovision Young Dancers 2017". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  11. Granger, Anthony (20 December 2018). "Eurovision Young Dancers 2019 Cancelled Due to Lack of Host Broadcaster". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. Grace, Emily (13 October 2020). "Eurovision Young Dancers Will Not Return Next Year". Eurovoix.
  13. 1 2 "Eurovision Young Dancers - Format". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Membership conditions". European Broadcasting Union . Retrieved 3 February 2012.
  15. 1 2 "ITU-R Radio Regulations 2012-2015" (PDF). International Telecommunication Union, available from the Spectrum Management Authority of Jamaica. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  16. "ITU-R Radio Regulations - Articles edition of 2004 (valid in 2004-2007)" (PDF). International Telecommunication Union. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  17. "Radio Regulations". International Telecommunication Union. 8 September 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
  18. "Kosovo in the Eurovision Young Dancers". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  19. "Cyprus in the Eurovision Young Dancers". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  20. "Armenia in the Eurovision Young Dancers". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  21. "Russia in the Eurovision Young Dancers". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  22. "Eurovision Young Dancers - History by year". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  23. "Eurovision Young Dancers 1989". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  24. "Eurovision Young Dancers 2003". youngdancers.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 9 March 2015.