Israeli choreographer shortlisted for new £15k global prize

Iconic London performing arts venue Sadler’s Wells has shortlisted an Israeli dancer for a category in its international dance award.

Thirty-four year old Stav Struz Boutrous, born in Jerusalem, was selected for the Bloom category of the biennial Rose International Dance Prize, specifically for emerging choreographers with a maximum of ten years’ experience.

The alternate Rose category is for established choreographers presenting a full-length performance of 50 minutes or longer.

With representation from across the globe, the other shortlisted acts come from Taiwan, France, Brazil, America, Portugal and Greece.

A graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance High School, Boutrous was a member of the Batsheva Ensemble and Batsheva Dance Company, before joining the Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company.

She created her short-listed solo performance ‘Sepia’ during the pandemic as part of her investigation into her Georgian heritage and the war dances of her ancestors.

Besides creating her own choreographies, she teaches movement classes to children with autism at the Arab-Jewish Centre in Jaffa-Tel Aviv.

A prize of £40,000 will be awarded to the Rose category winner and a prize for £15,000 will be awarded to the Bloom category winner. There will also be an opportunity for audiences to have their say, with an online vote to choose an audience winner.

Four Rose Prize productions and three Bloom Prize productions have been shortlisted by a process involving 14 international nominators (presenters, artists, producers and writers), followed by a refined selection process by six selectors, who nominated the seven international shortlisted productions

Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Sadler’s Wells artistic director and co-chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to be revealing the shortlist for the inaugural Rose International Dance Prize today. Nominations were put forward by experts from seven regions of the world and the shortlist reflects that internationalism and showcases the diversity of the dance form.

“We want the prize to push the boundaries of the art form, to spark conversations, and promote experimentation. We would like The Rose Prize to do for dance what the Turner Prize has done for visual arts, what the Booker has done for publishing.”

The seven finalists will present their work on Sadler’s Wells’ stages from 29 January – 8 February 2025, so that the public and jury will be able to see the work live.

The winners will be decided by a jury and the award will be designed by renowned artist and stage designer, Es Devlin. The winners will be announced on Monday, 10 February 2025.

To watch a brief video of the shortlisted performances and to purchase tickets, click here.