8-year-old Winner of Royal Academy of Dance Art Competition is Congratulated by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

Announced as part of the opening of its brand-new global headquarters, officially opened by the HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, the competition was designed to inspire children from across local primary schools to engage with the borough’s historic and deep-rooted connection to the world of dance.

A judging panel of RAD President Dame Darcey Bussell and Artistic Director, Gerard Charles and former English National Ballet dancer Shevelle Dynott choose Richard, aged 8, from Alderbrook Primary School as the competition winner for his colourful depiction of a dancer in motion. Not only will Richard’s work be exhibited in the new building later this year, but Richard wins a personalised dance workshop at RAD for his whole class, along with a special tour of the new purpose-built Academy.

With 48 entries submitted to the competition, following competitive judging, prizes have also been awarded to runners up:

• Genevieve from Finton House School, aged 9
• Indiana from Sellincourt Primary School, aged 9

Richard, alongside runner up Genevieve were introduced to HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and had the opportunity to present their work to her as she formally opened the new state-of-the-art RAD global headquarters.

The RAD is a global organisation with over 100 years of experience and a mission to inspire the world to dance. The Academy is committed to making its new headquarters a home for dance, for all. The RAD’s community engagement plan seeks to make programmes, projects, and facilities physically and financially accessible to the local community, young and old – and a new 193-seat theatre will enable the organisation to share a wide range of dance performances locally.

Gerard Charles, Artistic Director, Royal Academy of Dance says: “We are delighted to announce the winner and runners up of the very first borough-wide RAD art competition for schools. With entries from pupils right across Wandsworth, we received an extremely high calibre of artworks. However, it was Richard’s work that really stood out to the panel, really capturing the sense of freedom of movement alongside a sense of light. All of which really show what dance means beyond the body”.

Dame Darcey Bussell, President, Royal Academy of Dance says: “I loved the energy and use of colours in Richard’s work, as well as how physical it felt. I particularly enjoyed how it flowed across the whole page, and the imaginative little details added to the mood of the picture”.

Shevelle Dynott, former English National Ballet dancer, says: “The judging process was very difficult given the outstanding quality of work submitted by schools. The winning work really captured the gradient from light to dark and the expressive movement of the subject that stretched across the page – showcasing the essence of joy that dancing can inspire”.

Competition winner Richard says: “I am so happy to have won the competition. Taking part was such an enjoyable experience, and it has inspired me to want to take up dance.”

The new RAD headquarters is an international home for dance, allowing the charity to realise the potential of the 60,000 sq. ft building to expand on its 100-year history of providing high-quality dance education, to bring the transformational power of dance to more people, regardless of age, ability, or location.