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DanceXchange and Sampad South Asian Arts were delighted to see 19 year old Kathak dancer Vidya Patel, one of their Centre for Advanced Dance Training graduates, win a place in the Grand Final of the first ever BBC Young Dancer competition after winning the South Asian Final shown on BBC4 on Friday 1 May. 

The award, for UK dancers aged 16-20, showcases four dance categories – South Asian dance alongside Hip Hop, Ballet and Contemporary.

The South Asian Category Final took place at The Riverfront in Newport in front of a judging panel of leading experts in South Asian dance, Padmashree Pratap Pawar and Mira Balchandran Gokul, Bharatanatyam dancer and co-Artistic Director of SANKALPAM, joined by Kenneth Tharp, Chief Executive of The Place, who judged across all of the Category Finals.

“I loved the whole experience and throughout the atmosphere behind the scenes was incredibly supportive amongst all the contestants,” said Vidya.  “It was so exciting”.  

Vidya, who grew up in Perry Barr, north Birmingham, trained at the Centre for Advanced Dance Training with acclaimed Kathak teacher Sujata Banerjee.

The programme, now called Yuva Gati and led by Birmingham’s DanceXchange and Sampad South Asian Arts, is the first and only national programme to offer high quality training in South Asian Dance for 11-18 year olds. 

Vidya graduated from Yuva Gati in 2014, and with the support of her parents decided to continue her training with Sujata Banerjee, based in London. 

“It was a lucky coincidence that the BBC Young Dancer award was announced at the same time and I thought it would be worth giving it a go. I never dreamed I would actually win,” said Vidya who is full of enthusiasm for the Grand Final. 

“It is going to be great. Ever since I decided that dance would be my profession to perform at Sadler’s Wells was my dream," explained Vidya. "To actually get to be there is such a privilege.”

The category winners, plus two wildcard entries, will battle it out at the Grand Final at Sadler’s Wells in London, which will be broadcast on BBC Two on 9 May at 7pm.  The overall winner will receive a £3000 cash prize to help support their further dance studies and the first ever BBC Young Dancer title.

The judging panel for the Grand Final includes Artistic Director of New Adventures, Choreographer and Director Matthew Bourne, Choreographer and Director Wayne McGregor, English National Ballet Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, Dancer and Choreographer Kenrick Sandy, Artistic Director of ZFin Malta dance ensemble Mavin Khoo and Alistair Spalding, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Sadler's Wells.  

Find out more

You can watch the BBC Young Dancer 2015 Grand Final at 7pm on BBC Two on Saturday 9^th May, and catch up on BBC iPlayer.

Love dance? Find out more about DanceXChange and Sampad's Centre for Advanced Dance Training.

DanceXChange and Sampad are two of Arts Council England's National Portfolio organisations. Find out more about why #culturematters.