Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The dance world appears richly fruited with prizes. The Tonys and Oliviers both recognise choreography, and one has only to scan a ballerina’s programme note to learn of the gongs to be won at Lausanne, Varna, Jacksonville or Moscow. But there was no big, overarching prize: no Booker; no Turner. Until now. This year, London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre inaugurates its £40,000 Rose International Dance Prize, which began presenting work by the finalists on Wednesday night. The winner will be announced on February 8.The biennial prize “for original dance creations in any style” is the brainchild of Sir Alistair Spalding, knighted in 2022 for services to dance and artistic director of the Wells for the past 20 years. Trawling the theatres and studios of the world is an expensive business but the means to do it was furnished by the surprise largesse of a still anonymous donor who also chose the name of the prize — a whim? Or a clue?Finding the best new dance production in the world isn’t easy. They began by dividing the atlas into seven: North America; South America; Africa; East Asia; South Asia; Australasia; and Europe. These divisions are necessarily elastic, with Israel relocated to Europe, Eurovision-style: “It’s quite difficult to have the Middle East as a separate region,” explains Spalding. Russia, it need hardly be said, did not trouble the scorer.Two roving selectors — writers, producers and artists in their own right — were each allocated one of these vast global regions and invited to see everything of relevance — ballet, tap, modern, no holds barred — during the two-year qualifying period (roughly 2021-23). They then reported back with their two favourites plus a bonus recommendation from anywhere they liked. Films of the 42 chosen pieces were then whittled down by a central selection team to a shortlist of seven, which will now be seen live by a judging panel of four: two dancemakers, a poet and a musician (do keep up: there may be a quiz later).The original screening process was complicated by the various Covid lockdowns when theatres were closed and dancers were Zooming daily class on their kitchen lino. The first half of 2021 was obviously a washout but when I flick back through my own dancegoing schedules for the two years under consideration, there were some real gems: Kim Brandstrup’s Minotaur; Carlos Pons Guerra’s Mariposa; Matthew Bourne’s Midnight Bell; Lost Dog’s Ruination. None of these made the cut.The Rose shortlist includes three “Blooms” (fewer than 10 years’ professional experience) vying for £15,000 and four “Roses”, more experienced dancemakers nominated for the main prize of £40K. Wednesday night’s Bloom was Stav Struz Boutros with Sepia, a 30-minute solo derived from the motifs of Georgian folk dance performed in the sparsely filled Lilian Baylis studio theatre.An hour later Kyle Abraham (a Rose) had a packed house for An Untitled Love, a hit from the 2022 Edinburgh Festival. The witty and affectionate character ensemble is inspired by Black American social dance and set to a soulful soundtrack by D’Angelo and The Vanguard. Abraham’s writing is a smooth synthesis of barre and bar room, the arabesques and twerks sassily delivered by a fine team of dancers such as Donovan Reed who can play with time and space, transforming a simple phrase by simply taking it frame-by-frame, every pose picture perfect. Definitely one to beat.sadlerswells.com
