From left to right: Gisèle Vienne, Kenrick H20 Sandy and Oona Doherty. Photos: Patric Chiha, Benji Reid and Simon Harrison
The short-listed nominations for this year’s National Dance Awards have been announced and we are thrilled that three Dance Umbrella shows / artists have been selected from the 456 companies, choreographers, performers and other creative artists that were shortlisted.
On the back of her 2020 Olivier Award nomination, Franco-Austrian artist Gisèle Vienne has again been recognised for her choreography in Crowd. Drawing on her own experiences of Berlin’s Techno scene, Crowd is a hallucinatory rollercoaster of intoxicating movement and intense emotions that opened Dance Umbrella’s 2019 festival.
DU19 Gisèle Vienne, Crowd at Sadler's Wells. Photo: Estelle Hanania
Northern Irish artist Oona Doherty is nominated for her solo performance in Hope Hunt and the Ascension Into Lazarus, which saw a sold-out run at the Yard Theatre. Described by The Times as a “phenomenal performer who makes the air electric,” Oona adopts multiple personas of disaffected male youth in Hope Hunt with fury, swagger and humanity. Oona recently broke down her choreographic process for us as part of our Choreographer’s Cut series, which you can watch here.
DU19 Oona Doherty, Hope Hunt and the Ascension Into Lazarus at the Yard Theatre. Photo: Teresa Elwes
Co-founder and co-Artistic Director of internationally acclaimed company Boy Blue, Kenrick H20 Sandy, is acknowleged for his blistering, breathtaking lead performance in REDD, which emphatically closed our Fairfield Takeover in Croydon. The show is an introspective journey exploring how, after trauma, we may find inner peace. As part of our 2020 digital festival, Kenrick worked with a group of 16 adults aged 60+ for the Home Made project to create a choreographic film. Watch now.
DU19 Boy Blue, REDD at Fairfield Halls. Photo Carl Fox
The Dance Umbrella nominees:
Best Modern Choreography – Gisèle Vienne, Crowd at Sadler’s Wells
Outstanding Female Modern Performance – Oona Doherty, Hope Hunt and the Ascension Into Lazarus at the Yard Theatre
Outstanding Male Modern Performance – Kenrick H20 Sandy (Boy Blue Entertainment), REDD at Fairfield Halls
We send our congratulations to all the nominees.
The National Dance Awards are organised and presented by the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle, which brings together over 60 dance writers and critics. They are the only awards given by the body of professional dance critics in the UK.
The winners will be announced at an online ceremony to be streamed on Sunday 27 June 2021.