The Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance 2023

Each year, our Upper School 2nd Year students are invited to perform a solo of their choice, prepared on their own and without any coaching, for the Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance.

The annual event took place on Thursday 23 November, in front of an audience of supporters and staff in the Linden Studio Theatre at Upper School. Alumna and former Director of The Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, and current Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, formed this year’s judging panel, sharing much-valued support, guidance and wisdom with our 2nd Year students.

2nd Year students performed a range of challenging repertoire that showcased their hard work and ability to channel expression, emotion and meaning through their performances. From George Balanchine’s Who Cares? to Robert Ballet’s Ella and Jiří Kylián’s 27’52”, 2nd Year students were commended for their mature repertoire selection and for challenging themselves with bold choices to showcase their artistry and storytelling abilities.

About the Lynn Seymour Award for Expressive Dance

The award was established in 2000 at White Lodge by the late Nina Finburgh, celebrated and inspirational drama teacher at the School, in honour of Lynn Seymour. Lynn was one of our most celebrated dramatic ballerinas, renowned for her daring and dramatic talent and ability to inspire innovative choreographers. .

The performance was generously sponsored by Kinoshita Group, Centenary Corporate Partner of The Royal Ballet School.