Dance

Boy Blue (body of work) - WINNER

Boy Blue is the radical force that has defined the potential and power of hip-hop dance theatre across the UK. Boy Blue’s dedication to creating world class dance productions is inextricable with their commitment to empowering young talent and thousands of young people have been educated at Boy Blue.

Boy Blue were part of the stellar creative team who created ‘Free Your Mind’ the opening show of Aviva Studios in Manchester. This was a spectacular work used innovative technologies and the story of The Matrix as a prism to examine the big tech companies and their effect on our lives today.This year ‘Cycles’ premiered at Barbican, captivating audience with a focus on the pure wonder of choreography and performance excellence. 

Clod Ensemble for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, in association with Nu Civilisation Orchestra 

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a unique staging of the seminal album from jazz composer Charles Mingus in which musicians from the Nu Civilization Orchestra, dancers from Clod Ensemble and audience members all share the floor to create an uncategorizable dance experience which celebrates the power of music and movement and the diversity of ways we listen and move.

A unique and innovative approach sees choreographed sections blended with improvised solos and invitations for the public to take to the dance floor, guided by professional dancers who “sweep up the crowd in a joyful celebration of movement”.

Michael Keegan-Dolan for How To Be A Dancer in Seventy- two Thousand Easy Lessons 

This groundbreaking work is a dance down a rabbit hole of nationality, identity, racism, body-image, culture, death, love, ancestor worship, veneration, innocence and experience, sexuality and shame, defiance, humiliation and awakening. It is a deeply vulnerable and ultimately joyful coming of age story, making it both accessible and profoundly moving to diverse audiences. 

"How To Be A Dancer in Seventy-two Thousand Easy Lessons" pushes the boundaries of traditional dance by blending the mediums of dance and theatre into a compelling narrative. The choreography is characterised by its profound emotional depth, evocative imagery, and technical precision, illustrating Keegan-Dolan’s unparalleled craftsmanship.