31 October 2022 15:07

Announcing the winners of The Bedells Bursary and nationwide Dance Challenge

Today we are thrilled to announce the winners of The Bedells Bursary and Dance Challenge, which took place for the first time in our new state-of-the-art headquarters in London.

Jakob Wheway with Anna Rose O'Sullivan. Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou.

On Sunday 30 October (the first time the competition has taken place since 2019) Jakob Wheway, aged 15, was awarded The Bedells Bursary. Jakob is currently trained by the dance faculty at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. His winning performance was Giselle-Act 1- Peasant Pas de Deux, and a self-choreographed variation entitled Between the Lines.

22 young dancers took part in this competition where candidates were judged on a non-syllabus ballet class, a classical variation and a variation choreographed by themselves. In recognition of the huge importance of nurturing and providing opportunities for creativity in young dancers, this year’s Choreographic Award was presented to British dancer Scott Milne, aged 16, for his Dancer’s Own solo entitled Twilight. Scott was trained by Karen Berry at Danscentre in Aberdeen. This award has been made possible, thanks to funding generously provided by the Lynn Wallis Bursary Fund.

Candidates were judged by former Artistic Director of the RAD, Lynn Wallis OBE, RAD Vice-President and former Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, David McAllister AM, and Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet, Anna Rose O’Sullivan. Anna-Rose is one of many previous winners who have gone on to perform with professional companies the world over. Dancers who have previously taken part in the  Bursary have gone on to perform with professional companies such as The Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and Estonian National Ballet, and past winners include Errol Pickford, Lauren Cuthbertson, Sean Bates, Joseph Caley and Brandon Lawrence.

Recognising young dancers’ excellence in artistic and technical achievement and providing opportunities for creativity, the bursary is named in honour of Phyllis Bedells, a founder member and Vice-President of the RAD. The bursary, supported by the Mary Kipps Bequest, has a value of £1,000 to be used to further the winner's training. This event is a global competition, open to members of the RAD who are 17 years of age and under, and have passed the RAD Advanced 1 Examination (with Distinction). This year, dancers took part from countries around the world including the UK, Malta, Canada, Hong Kong and Portugal.

Gerard Charles, Artistic Director of the RAD, said: “It is a joy to see our dancers gather from so many different places to learn together, to show what they have achieved and to see each other’s work. It is a good opportunity to celebrate their work and to recognise all the people that have helped them get to this point.  We are always excited to see what their next steps may be.”

Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou.

Dance Challenge winners

Erin Eastaugh with Anna Rose O'Sullivan. Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou.

This year’s Bedells Bursary took place at the same time as the RAD Dance Challenge, a nationwide competition where dancers are judged on the performance of a solo, choreographed by themselves. The winners were:

• Overall winner of the Antoinette Sibley Scholarship for Levels 1 and 2: Erin Eastaugh aged 12, who is currently trained by Karen Berry and Lorna Scott at Danscentre in Aberdeen
• The Jean Bedells Choreographic Award Level 1: Beatrix Chevalier Louis, aged 11, who is currently trained by Lorna Scott at Danscentre in Aberdeen
• The Jean Bedells Choreographic Award Level 2: Keira Hair, aged 16, who is currently trained by Lorna Scott at Danscentre in Aberdeen

All the young dancers participating in this competition and the Bedells Bursary enjoyed a weekend of performances and educational experiences at RAD headquarters, including a special masterclass by former dancer Leanne Cope.