BBC Young Dancer 2017 - South Asian dance winner announced

Nineteen-year old Shyam Dattani has been announced as the winner of the South Asian Dance Final of BBC Young Dancer 2017 and will go on to represent the category at the Grand Final.

Published: 7 April 2017
Performing at Sadler’s Wells, has been a dream of mine for a long time, having watched so many distinguished artists perform there in the past. I cannot wait for the Grand Final to share my love for dance with the audience at Sadler’s Wells and across the country!
— Shyam Dattani

Shyam, who is based in Middlesex, will join Jodelle Douglas - winner of the Street Dance Final, Rhys Antoni Yeomans - winner of the Ballet Final and the winner of the Contemporary Final (to be announced, Friday 14 April) on stage at Sadler’s Wells in the Grand Final.

The South Asian Dance Finalists were: Anaya Bolar, 19 (Birmingham), Shyam Dattani, 19 (Middlesex), Jaina Modasia, 21 (Watford), Akshay Prakash, 21 (London) and Anjelli Wignakumar, 20 (London).

Highlights from the South Asian Dance Final were broadcast on BBC Four this evening (Friday 7 April) and are available to watch again on BBC iPlayer for 30 days.

All five category finalists performed three works - two solos and a duet - in front of a judging panel made up of leading experts from the dance sector. The judges were; Kathak performer and teacher - Kajal Sharma; choreographer, performer and educator - Chitra Sundaram; and award-winning choreographer - Shobana Jeyasingh, who is the chair of the judging panel across all four category finals.

In the lead up to the South Asian Dance Final, the five category finalists had the opportunity to take part in workshops with two mentors; Dancer and Artistic Director - Mira Balchandran Gokul, and Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director - Sonia Sabri.

Shyam Dattani, Winner of the South Asian Dance Final says: “Winning the South Asian Final is a huge honour and I am humbled to be representing Kathak and South Asian dance at the Grand Final. Performing at Sadler’s Wells, has been a dream of mine for a long time, having watched so many distinguished artists perform there in the past. I cannot wait for the Grand Final to share my love for dance with the audience at Sadler’s Wells and across the country!”

Shyam will join the winners from Street Dance, Ballet and Contemporary Categories in the Grand Final at Sadler’s Wells. The four category winners, and up to two wild cards, will perform in front of a panel of some of the most distinguished figures from UK dance; Marc Brew - Artistic Director of Marc Brew Company; Kevin O’Hare - Director of The Royal Ballet; Kate Prince- Artistic Director of ZooNation Dance Company; Nahid Siddiqui- Dancer and Choreographer; Kenneth Tharp - Choreographer, Director and former Chief Executive of The Place; and Jasmin Vardimon - Artistic Director of Jasmin Vardimon Company.

The Grand Final of BBC Young Dancer 2017 will be broadcast live on BBC Two on Saturday 22 April.

BBC Young Dancer is managed and produced by BBC Cymru Wales. The Series Editor is Paul Bullock and the Commissioning Editor Jan Younghusband (Head of Commissions, Music and Events TV) Editor of BBC Two, Patrick Holland and Editor of BBC Four, Cassian Harrison.

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Shyam Dattani biography

Shyam began his dance journey within Kathak at the age of two. As he progressed, his interest in South Asian dance grew, exploring other disciplines briefly. Kathak has remained his strength, whilst undergoing vigorous training under different teachers, including Abhay Shankar Mishra at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. His love for performing has driven him to take up full-time training, working towards vocational qualifications. Being a passionate dancer, who is developing into a well-versed and all rounded young artist under the guidance of his Guru Urja Desai Thakore, Shyam aspires to challenge himself, performing pieces of established choreographers. Alongside inspiring other young people to pursue their passions, he also hopes to pass on his love for dance through teaching, in the near future.

TV broadcast information

  • Friday 24 March, BBC Four - Street Dance Final
  • Friday 31 March, BBC Four - Ballet Final
  • Friday 7 April, BBC Four - South Asian Final
  • Friday 14 April, BBC Four - Contemporary Final
  • Saturday 22 April, BBC Two - Grand Final (live)

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