Eurovision Young Dancers: Gdansk (Poland) to host the 2013 edition, next 14th of June.

 

10 dancers from across Europe will compete to make proud their own country at the dancing contest of the Eurovision family: Eurovision Young Dancers.

 

The Eurovision Young Dancers is a biennial showcase broadcast on television throughout Europe which was launched in 1985. It was a time from 2005 to 2011 when the contest was replaced for the Eurovision Dance Contest which only was broadcasted in 2007 and 2008. In 2011, Eurovision Young Dancers returned with a contest in Oslo, Norway. This year, with 14 winners (5 times for Spain and 1 time for Sweden, France, Norway, Poland, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ukraine) in the history of the show, the contest will be held in a city of Poland, Gdansk.

As it has been told at the beginning of the new, 10 countries will participate this time: Armenia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, The Netherlands and Ukraine.

The rules about how the contest works are the next ones:

• Participants must be aged between 16 and 21 years old, and not be professionally engaged.
• Each act performs a solo act that they have prepared in advance of the competition in any style they choose.
• Each act is then part of a group dance which is choreographed during ‘Young Dancers Week’ by an independent, professional dancer.
• Two acts are selected to the final round by the jury, where they must perform a spontaneous dance.
• The jury chooses a winner from the final two.

 

So, once we know a bit of the contest and how it works, let’s know the participants of this year:

 

01. ARMENIA

The first Armenian representative ever in this contest will be the seventeen years old Vahagn Margaryan. Vahagn was born on September 5, 1995 in Apaga, Armenia. He started to dance since his childhood. At the age of 14 he entered Yerevan State College of Dance, to the department of Armenian Folk Dance, but later in 2010 he moved to the the department of Ballet. In a short time he became one of the best dancers in their college. Eurovision Young Dancers has an important role in Vahagn’s life, because it’s the first serious contest for him.

 02. BELARUS

The eighteen years old Yana Stangey will represent Belarus. Yana was born on the 25th of February 1995 in Kharkov, Ukraine. Her parents do not belong to the artistic circles, so the fact that the girl entered the world of dance can be considered a lucky chance. When her mother’s friend advised to take her to the preparatory group of the private choreographic school, she was 4. Lessons under the guidance of the private tutor Tatiana Cherkasova took 6 days a week: dancing, dancing and dancing. Today, Yana studies in the class of an honoured artist of Russia, Klara Malysheva. She dreams about Giselle and the theatre, where her dream will come true.

It will be the first time for Belarus at the contest, as Armenia.

 03. CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic will be represented by the eighteen years old Adéla Abdul Khalegová. Adéla was born in Polička, Czech Republic, on September 22, 1993. She started her dance education when she was 7 in her hometown and afterwards she continued her education in Prague. She has participated in many national and international competitions, including competitions and workshops in Serbia and Sweden. She is member of the Baby Ballet Praha since 2007 and of the Ballet Prague Junior since 2009. In addition, she has a quite important background in gymnastics as well and speaks Czech, English and Spanish.

This will be the third time for the Czech Republic at the contest.

04. GERMANY

Felix Berning will be the German representative. Felix, 17 years old, started dancing at the age of four. Right now he is getting his dance education at the Gymnasium Essen-Werden that pushed him up to represent his country at the Eurovision Young Dancers 2013. Since 2009 he was member of the show dance formation “Perbe”. In the category “male solo” he won the last two German Show dance Championships. In 2011 he auditioned for the Gymnasium Essen-Werden which is the only high school in Germany where dance can be chosen as an advanced level subject. Surrounded by high qualified teachers he is now getting educated professionally and individually in classical ballet and contemporary dance.

This will be the eleventh time for Germany at the contest with a victory in 1999.

05. NORWAY

Norway will be represented by Julie Dokken. Julie is 18 years old and lives in Norway’s capital of Oslo with her family and their cat. She started dancing when she was 4 years old in the local ballet school, and she started at the National Opera & Ballet School when she was 12.  In 2010 she furthered her dancing education by being accepted into the Oslo National Academy of Arts to study classical ballet. Julie is now in her third year at the Academy. Julie is not new to competition after competing in a ballet competition in Falun, Sweden last year. She is also no stranger to the stage having performed in productions at the national theatre and national opera and battle in Oslo. Julie has been part of several international dance programmes including the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program in 2011 to 2012.

Norway won the last edition of the contest and it will be its eighth participation.

06. POLAND

Kristóf Szabó will represent the host country of this year: Poland. He was born in 1994 and he is a student of the last year of the Ballet School “Roman Turczynowicz” in Warsaw. He has participated in international dance workshops in Berlin. In the period of 2011-2013, Kristóf had dance practice with the Polish National Ballet. During 2007 and 2008 he took part in the musical “Akademia Pana Kleksa” in the Roma Music Theatre. Kristóf has also starred in the TV series “Deep Water” on TVP 2, playing the character of Antek. He is the winner of the International Classical and Contemporary Choreography Competition “Think – Stream” in Kiev (Ukraine). He is also a member of the international contest “Złote pointy” in Szczecin, and choreography contest “1,2,3 … Taniec” in Krakow.

It will be the eight Polish participation at the contest with a winning time in 2001.

07. SLOVENIA

The youngest contestant of this year will be the fifteen years old Patricija Crnkovič representing Slovenia. Patricija was born on August 11th, 1997 in Kranj, Slovenia. She enrolled into the Tomo Brejc Primary School in Kamnik, which she completed with flying colours and thus ensured herself a Zois Scholarship for talented students. She’s now a first year student at the Bežigrad General Secondary School in Ljubljana and at the same time a first year student at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Dance, ballet course.

It will be the fifth time for Slovenia at the contest.

08. SWEDEN

Stephanie Liekola Isla will represent Sweden. She is sixteen and she’s from Göteborg, the second largest city of Sweden. She trains modern and classical dance at Svenska Balettskolan.

Sweden is the only country which has participated in all the contests. So, it will be its thirteenth participation with a victory in 2003.

09. THE NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands will be represented by Sedrig Verwoert. Sedrig was born in Paramaribo (Suriname) in 1992 but he lives now in Zaandam, The Netherlands. He will become 21 in October. He started to dance when we was only 3 years old and his favorite dancing styles are Ballet and Modern. Dancing has a huge influence in his whole life and at this moment he is not part of any company, but he would love to.

With one victory in 2005, it will be the tenth time for The Netherlands at the contest.

10. UKRAINE

Finally, the twenty years old Nikita Vasylenko will represent his country: Ukraine. Born in 1993, Nikyta started dancing lessons very early. Born in Kherson region, he moved to Kiev for elaborate education in the Ukrainian capital. He started dancing in the age of 6 and he graduated just last year from the Academy. During his studies Nikyta gained good education and worked with various dance stars from Russia and Ukraine show biz scene. He participated in various music video and film shootings. In 2012, Nikyta became one of the top ten dancers in the Ukrainian dancing show “Tantsiuiut’ Vsi” (Everybody Dance).

With a victory in 2003, it will be the second participation of Ukraine in the contest.

The venue of this year will be the Baltic Opera House of Gdansk whose stage, designed by Michał Białousz, will be just like that:

So, now you have read all you have to know if you want to watch the Eurovision Young Dancers 2013 in the evening of the 14th of June.

May the best dancer win!