After the Maltese national broadcaster PBS withdrew from hosting Eurovision Young Dancers, the EBU have now confirmed that this competition will take place after all this year on December 16th in Prague, Czech Republic, and eight countries have already confirmed to take part in it.
The 15th edition of Eurovision Young Dancers is set to take place on 16th December at the Forum Hall of Prague Congress Centre. Eight countries have so far confirmed their attendance, with other interested broadcasters invited to submit their intentions by July 15.
Countries confirmed to be participating so far are:
- Czech Republic
- Germany
- Malta
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Sweden
Libor Bouček to return
Libor Bouček returns as the host of the competition, who hosted the last Eurovision Young Dancers competition when it was held in 2015. Meanwhile, Petr Zuska, artistic director of the Czech National Ballet has been confirmed as the choreographer of this years competition.
Head of Eurovision Live Events, Jon Ola Sand added:
This is an important competition for young dancers on the threshold of a professional career, The EBU is thrilled to celebrate the vitality and eclecticism of the modern dance scene together with our Member broadcasters. We look forward to finding Europe’s newest dance star in Prague.
What is Eurovision Young Dancers?
The Eurovision Young Dancers competition was first staged in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1985. It is staged every two years, with a break between 2005 and 2011 for the Eurovision Dance Contest. In 2015, Viktoria Nowak from Poland won the last edition of Eurovision Young Dancers, which was also held in Czech Republic in the New Theatre in Pilsen.
First held in 1985 a total of 37 countries have competed at least once in the contest, including Canada in 1987. The competition is open to young dancers who are aged between 16 and 21 years old. Either a solo dancer or a couple, who perform a routine of their choosing for the jury, represents each country. The jury will select two acts to go through to the final round, which is a 90 second dance off. Each dancer is given 45 seconds to perform and impress the judges, at the end of the performances the judges select the winner.
You can watch the previous Eurovision Young Dancers 2015 by clicking below:
