# Eurovision Young Dancers

Eurovision Young Dancers (French: L'Eurovision des Jeunes Danseurs), often shortened to EYD, or Young Dancers, was a biennial dance competition, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) between members of the union, who participate representing their countries. Broadcasters from thirty-seven countries have taken part since the first contest in 1985.
Performers between the ages of 16 and 21 appointed by the participating broadcasters, compete as solo of couples to dance routines of their choice. Professional jury members each representing the elements of ballet, contemporary, and modern dancing, score each of the performances. The two participants which receive the most overall points advance to a televised 'dance-off' final, where the winner is decided by the jury.
Spain is the most successful country in the competition, having won five times: 1985, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 1997, but has never hosted. On 16 December 2017, the fifteenth and most recent edition took place in Prague, Czech Republic, and was won by Paulina Bidzińska repsesenting Poland, with Patricija Crnkovič repsesenting Slovenia placing second (runner-up).

## History

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) holds two biennial youth competitions in alternate years, with Eurovision Young Dancers taking place in odd-numbered years and Eurovision Young Musicians in even-numbered years. The inaugural Eurovision Young Dancers contest –then known as Eurovision Competition for Young Dancers–, took place in Reggio Emilia, Italy, on 16 June 1985. EBU member broadcasters from twelve countries competed in the first contest. Spain won that first edition, with Arantxa Argüelles. Norway with by Arne Fagerholt, and Sweden with Mia Stagh and Göran Svalberg, came second and third respectively.
Broadcasters from a total of thirty-seven countries have competed at least once since 1985. Canada is the only non-European country that has been represented in the contest (as well as the only country in the Americas to have ever participated in a Eurovision event), however their broadcaster, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), is an associate member of the EBU. Eurovision Young Dancers is also the only Eurovision event to feature a country whose broadcaster is neither a full nor associate member of the EBU, as Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) made their sole appearance in 2011 representing Kosovo (although it has broadcast other Eurovision events for many years). Bulgaria's debut and only appearance in 1991 also marked the first participation of a former Warsaw Pact country in a Eurovision event, as well as the longest gap between a country's debut at another Eurovision event prior to appearing at the Eurovision Song Contest (with fourteen years separating their Young Dancers debut and their Song Contest debut).
In the entire history of the event, only three contests (2007, 2009 and 2019) have never occurred. Eurovision Young Dancers 2007 was cancelled to allow the Prix de Lausanne, a similar event organised by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR idée suisse to take place at the same venue. The decision to cancel the contest was mutually agreed between the host broadcaster and the EBU. The following contest was due to be held on 19 June 2009 at the Dance House in Oslo, however was eventually cancelled due to a lack of interest from broadcasters. The contest would eventually be held again in 2011 when the format was revived as a prime time show.
On 23 January 2017, the EBU announced that Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), who agreed to host the event in July 2015, had been forced to cancel their staging of the competition. The EBU also stated it was looking for another host broadcaster but should one not be found in time the competition would not take place this year and is expected to return in 2019. On 18 May 2017, Czech broadcaster Česká televize (ČT) confirmed that they would host the contest for a second time.
On 20 December 2018, the contest was cancelled due to the absence of a broadcaster willing to host the competition. As of that time, Malta and Poland were the only eligible countries to have confirmed their intention to participate in the contest. In October 2020, the EBU ruled out bringing the contest back until further notice.

## Format

The format has been roughly the same since the 1985 inauguration of the competition. All competing dancers are to be non-professional and between the ages of 16–21. Participants may consist of solo or couples, with each performing a dance routine of their choice, which they have prepared in advance of the competition. All of the acts then take part in a choreographed group dance during 'Young Dancers Week'.
From 1989 to 2003, a semi-final round took place a few days before the contest, and the jury decided as well which countries qualified for the televised final. In the 2003 contest, the professional jury voted electronically, immediately following each act, awarding points for technique and artistry. For the 2005 contest, the traditional format was changed. A week of dance master classes replaced the semi-final round. Florence Clerc, Irek Mukhamedow, Christopher Bruce and Piotr Nardelli were the dance teachers selected to work with the participants and tasked to select the ten finalists out of the 13 participating countries.
In 1989 and 2003, the contest awarded two sets of first prize, one for classical and one for contemporary dance. Two jury's special prizes were also handed out in 1989 and an additional "Youth Jury" prize was awarded in 2003, chosen by a panel of dance enthusiasts in the audience.
The format was revamped in 2011 to include a 'final duel' round and the semi-finals are removed due to the low number of participating countries. Jury members of a professional aspect and representing the elements of ballet, contemporary, and modern dancing styles, score each of the competing individual and group dance routines. Once all the jury votes have been counted, the two participants which received the highest total of points progress to a final round. The final round consists of a 90-second 'dual', were each of the finalists perform a 45-second random dance-off routine. The overall winner upon completion of the final dances is chosen by the professional jury members.

## Participation

Eligible participants include primarily active member broadcasters (as opposed to associate members) of the EBU. Active members are located in countries that fall within the European Broadcasting Area, or are member states of the Council of Europe.
The European Broadcasting Area is defined by the International Telecommunication Union:
    The "European Broadcasting Area" is bounded on the west by the western boundary of Region 1, on the east by the meridian 40° East of Greenwich and on the south by the parallel 30° North so as to include the northern part of Saudi Arabia and that part of those countries bordering the Mediterranean within these limits. In addition, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and those parts of the territories of Iraq, Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey and Ukraine lying outside the above limits are included in the European Broadcasting Area.
The western boundary of Region 1 is defined by a line running from the North Pole along meridian 10° West of Greenwich to its intersection with parallel 72° North; thence by great circle arc to the intersection of meridian 50° West and parallel 40° North; thence by great circle arc to the intersection of meridian 20° West and parallel 10° South; thence along meridian 20° West to the South Pole.
Active members are broadcasting organisations whose transmissions are made available to at least 98% of households in their own country which are equipped to receive such transmissions. If an EBU active member broadcaster wishes to participate, it must fulfil conditions as laid down by the rules of the contest (of which a separate copy is drafted annually).
Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of Europe, despite the "Euro" in "Eurovision" – nor does it have any relation to the European Union. Kosovo, a partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe, is the only country in Europe who does not yet have EBU members, but has participated once in 2011. Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have competed: Cyprus and Armenia, in Western Asia (both are members of the Council of Europe with Cyprus as a member state of the European Union). Each made their début at Young Dancers in 1989 and 2013 respectively. In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed: Russia, since 1995; Canada in North America, despite only being an associate member of the EBU, have competed twice, in 1987 and 1989.
Broadcasters from thirty-six countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their début:
| Year | Country making its début entry |
| 1985 | Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Italy Norway Netherlands Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom |
| 1987 | Austria Canada Yugoslavia |
| 1989 | Cyprus Portugal |
| 1991 | Bulgaria |
| 1993 | Estonia Greece Poland Slovenia |
| 1995 | Hungary Russia |
| 1997 | Latvia Slovakia |
| 1999 | Czech Republic |
| 2001 | Ireland Ukraine |
| 2003 | Armenia Romania |
| 2011 | Croatia Kosovo |
| 2013 | Belarus |
| 2015 | Albania Malta |

## Hosting

Most of the expenses of the contest are covered by commercial sponsors, the host broadcaster, and contributions from the other participating broadcasters. The contest is considered to be a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination. The table below shows a list of cities and venues that have hosted Eurovision Young Dancers, one or more times. Future venues are shown in italics. With three contests, Poland is the country having hosted the most editions.
| Contests | Country | City | Venue | Years |
| 3 | Poland | Gdynia | Teatr Muzyczny | 1997 |
| 3 | Poland | Warsaw | National Theatre | 2005 |
| 3 | Poland | Gdańsk | Baltic State Opera | 2013 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | Plzeň | New Theatre | 2015 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | Prague | Congress Centre | 2017 |
| 2 | France | Paris | Palais des Congrès | 1989 |
| 2 | France | Lyon | Opéra de Lyon | 1999 |
| 1 | Italy | Reggio Emilia | Teatro Municipale | 1985 |
| 1 | Germany | Schwetzingen | Schwetzingen Palace Theatre | 1987 |
| 1 | Finland | Helsinki | Helsinki City Theatre | 1991 |
| 1 | Sweden | Stockholm | Dance House | 1993 |
| 1 | Switzerland | Lausanne | Palais de Beaulieu | 1995 |
| 1 | United Kingdom | London | Linbury Studio Theatre | 2001 |
| 1 | Netherlands | Amsterdam | Stadsschouwburg | 2003 |
| 1 | Norway | Oslo | Dance House | 2011 |

## Winners

Sixteen performances have won the Eurovision Young Dancers competition. There have been fourteen editions, with each having a winner, second, and third places for all dance styles combined, with exception to the 1989 edition which awarded first place for contemporary and classical dance categories; and the 2003 edition which gave first place prizes for ballet, modern dance, and a 'Youth Jury Choice' categories. From 2011 onwards, there have only been prizes awarded to the winner and runner-up. Below is a breakdown of those winners, by individual event and number of wins per country.

### Winners by year

| Year | Date | Host City | No. | Winner(s) | Performer(s) | Dance |
| 1985 | 16 June | Reggio Emilia | 12 | Spain | Arantxa Argüelles [es] | Unknown |
| 1987 | 31 May | Schwetzingen | 14 | Denmark | Rose Gad Poulsen and Nikolaj Hübbe | Divertissement from La Sylphide |
| 1989 | 28 June | Paris | 17 | France | Agnès Letestu (Contemporary dance) | Grand pas classiqueNotre Dame de Paris |
| 1989 | 28 June | Paris | 17 | United Kingdom | Tetsuya Kumakawa (Classical ballet) | Don QuixoteKolya's variation |
| 1991 | 5 June | Helsinki | 15 | Spain | Amaya Iglesias | Variations from La Grisi |
| 1993 | 15 June | Stockholm | 15 | Spain | Zenaida Yanowsky | Esmeralda |
| 1995 | 6 June | Lausanne | 15 | Spain | Jesús Pastor Sahuquillo and Ruth Miró Salvador | Arrayan Daraxa |
| 1997 | 17 June | Gdynia | 13 | Spain | Antonio Carmena San José | Angelitos Locos |
| 1999 | 10 July | Lyon | 16 | Germany | Stegli Yohan and Katja Wünsche [de] | Cinderella |
| 2001 | 23 June | London | 18 | Poland | David Kupinski and Marcin Kupinski | Brothers |
| 2003 | 4 July | Amsterdam | 17 | Ukraine | Jerlin Ndudi (Ballet) | Le Corsaire |
| 2003 | 4 July | Amsterdam | 17 | Sweden | Kristina Oom and Sebastian Michanek [sv] (Modern dance) | Light Beings |
| 2003 | 4 July | Amsterdam | 17 | Czech Republic | Monika Hejduková and Viktor Konvalinka (Youth Jury Choice) | The Twilight Of Innocence |
| 2005 | 24 June | Warsaw | 13 | Netherlands | Milou Nuyens [nl] | Snakesense |
| 2011 | 24 June | Oslo | 10 | Norway | Daniel Sarr | Full Force |
| 2013 | 14 June | Gdańsk | 10 | Netherlands | Sedrig Verwoert [nl] | The 5th Element |
| 2015 | 19 June | Plzeň | 10 | Poland | Viktoria Nowak | Piece in Old Style |
| 2017 | 16 December | Prague | 8 | Poland | Paulina Bidzińska | La Certa |

### Winners by country

The table below shows the top-three placings from each contest, along with the years that a country won the contest.
| Country | | | | Total | Years won |
| Spain | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 19851991199319951997 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 200120152017 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 20052013 |
| Sweden | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2003 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1989 |
| Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1999 |
| Norway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2011 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1987 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2003 |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1989 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2003 |
| Slovenia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Belgium | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — |
| Switzerland | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Romania | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Estonia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |

## Presenters

| Year | Presenter(s) | Backstage host |
| 1985 | Carla Fracci and Gheorghe Iancu [it] | Not present |
| 1987 | Margot Werner | Not present |
| 1989 | Zizi Jeanmaire and Alain Duault [fr] | Not present |
| 1991 | Taina Elg and Heikki Värtsi [fi] | Not present |
| 1993 | Anneli Alhanko and John Chrispinsson | Not present |
| 1995 | Géraldine Chaplin and Jean-Pierre Pastori [fr] | Not present |
| 1997 | Grażyna Torbicka [pl] and Bogusław Kaczyński (semi-final) Henk van der Meulen (final) | Not present |
| 1999 | Alex Taylor | Not present |
| 2001 | Deborah Bull | Not present |
| 2003 | Aldith Hunkar [nl] | Not present |
| 2005 | Agata Konarska [pl] | Not present |
| 2011 | Erik Solbakken | Not present |
| 2013 | Tomasz Kammel [pl] | Michael Nunn and William Trevitt |
| 2015 | Libor Bouček [cs] | Cameron McMillan |
| 2017 | Libor Bouček and Angeé Roučková [cs] | Not present |