BBC Young Dancer 2019

The heats are over, and the 20 most talented young dancers in Britain are now sharpening their moves in anticipation of the BBC Young Dancer 2019 finals, starting 19 April and leading to the Grand Final on 18 May.

The 20 finalists, aged between 16 – 20 years-old, come from all over the UK. They’ve been selected in four categories: Ballet, Contemporary, South Asian Dance and Street Dance. The winner in each category will receive a trophy and £1,000 towards furthering their dance training, as well as – of course! – going on to take part in the Grand Final.

So, between now and the finals all 20 will be working with especially chosen mentors in each category, people like English National Ballet Principal Begoña Cao in the Ballet category and the dancer and choreographer Avatâra Ayuso, in the Contemporary category.

The judges are a no less distinguished bunch and include the former Royal Ballet Principal Zenaida Yanowsky, the award winning Bharatanatyam dancer and performer Seeta Patel, and the current director of the National Youth Dance Company, Botis Seva. Each will judge his/her own category finals and then join fellow judges for the Grand Final.

As well as the winners of the four categories, the Grand Final will have a berth for a wild card: a dancer from the finals who impressed the judges despite not winning first place.

The Grand Final will be broadcast live from The Birmingham Hippodrome on 18 May, and will be hosted by two popular television presenters: Ore Oduba and Anita Rani.

The broadcasts for each of the finals will include behind the scenes footage of the dancers' preparations and contributions from experts, giving viewers an insight into the specifics of each discipline, as well as a good idea of the pressures to succeed in such a competitive environment.

Now in its fifth year, BBC Young Dancer has been going from strength to strength, gaining popularity among viewers with each edition, as well as providing young dancers with an unmatched opportunity to launch their careers.

BBC Young Dancer 2019: TV Broadcast Dates

- Friday 19 April, BBC Four - South Asian Category Final – 20:00

- Friday 26 April, BBC Four - Contemporary Category Final – 20:00

- Friday 3 May, BBC Four - Ballet Category Final – 20:00

- Friday 10 May, BBC Four - Street Dance Category Final – 20:00

- Saturday 18 May, BBC Two – LIVE GRAND FINAL - Time TBC