The Stage

James Cousins wins first New Adventures Choreographer Award

Published Friday 26 August 2011 at 11:40 by Alistair Smith

James Cousins has been announced as the inaugural winner of the New Adventures Choreographer Award.

Dancers perform a piece by James Cousins at tis year's Cloud Dance Festival Photo: Cloud Dance Festival

The prize was launched in celebration of choreographer Matthew Bourne’s 50th birthday last year and will grant the 22-year old winner in excess of £15,000 to work on his choreographic skills over the next 12 months. He will also be mentored by Bourne and other New Adventures associate artists. A showcase performance of his work will be the culmination of the award, to which leading industry figures will be invited.

A runner-up prize has also been awarded to 19-year olf Tom Jackson Greaves.

Bourne commented: “James Cousins is a highly talented choreographer at the beginning of his career. A recent graduate of the London Contemporary Dance School, the judges were impressed by his ambitions to form his own company and his refreshing desire to entertain. We received an astonishingly varied group of applications, both in style and experience, from almost 100 choreographers representing everything from dance theatre to classical ballet, musical theatre to contemporary, kathak to hip hop and even ice dance.

“Our aim was to find a winner that we feel will benefit most from what New Adventures has to offer, at this stage in their careers. I am personally very excited to work with James Cousins, and our runner–up Tom Jackson Greaves in helping them to realise some of their ambitions.”

Bourne added that another award would be presented in 2013.