The winner of English National Ballet's 2015 Emerging Dancer Award is Jinhao Zhang.
Zhang joined the Company just last year after graduating from English National Ballet School. He performed Dying Swan, which he choreographed himself, and also a pas de deux from Don Quixote with fellow nominee Isabelle Brouwers. On the judging panel were Leanne Benjamin, Michael Nunn, William Trevitt, Wayne Sleep, Didy Veldman, and the comapny's Artistic Director Tamara Rojo.
After the event, last MOnday, Rojo said,
Emerging Dancer was a wonderful evening and it was fantastic to see such incredibly strong performances from the finalists. It is a very important night that allows us to share the amazing talent of our up-and-coming dancers with our audience. I am extremely proud of everyone.
Zhang himself said:
I feel amazing; I can't believe I have won. Being on stage tonight, performing in front of the audience and judges was an incredible experience, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity.
Photographer Dasa Wharton was there to capture him in Dying Swan.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
