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).
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.
List of contests[]
| Year | Finals date | Venue | Host broadcaster | Winning country | Winning performer | Dance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | June 16 | Teatro Municipale, Reggio Emilia, Italy | RAI | Spain | Arantxa Argüelles | Unknown |
| 1987 | May 31 | Schlosstheater Schwetzingen, Schwetzingen, Germany | ZDF | Denmark | Rose Gad Poulsen and Nikolaj Hübbe | Divertissement from La Sylphide |
| 1989 | June 28 | Palais des Congrès, Paris, France | FR3 | France | Agnès Letestu (contemporary dance) | Grand pas classique
Notre Dame de Paris |
| United Kingdom | Tetsuya Kumakawa (classical ballet) | Don Quixote /
Kolya's variation | ||||
| 1991 | June 5 | Helsinki City Theatre, Helsinki, Finland | YLE | Spain | Amaya Iglesias | Variations from La Grisi |
| 1993 | June 15 | Dance House, Stockholm, Sweden | SVT | Zenaida Yanowsky | Esmeralda | |
| 1995 | June 6 | Palais de Beaulieu, Lausanne, Switzerland | SRG SSR | Jesús Pastor Sahuquillo and Ruth Miró Salvador | Arrayan Daraxa | |
| 1997 | June 17 | Teatr Muzyczny, Gdynia, Poland | TVP | Antonio Carmena San José | Angelitos Locos | |
| 1999 | July 10 | Opéra de Lyon, Lyon, France | France 3 | Germany | Stegli Yohan and Katja Wünsche | Cinderella |
| 2001 | June 32 | Linbury Studio Theatre, London, United Kingdom | BBC | Poland | David Kupinski and Marcin Kupinski | Brothers |
| 2003 | July 4 | Stadsschouwburg, Amsterdam, Netherlands | NPS | Ukraine | Jerlin Ndudi (ballet) | Le Corsaire |
| Sweden | Kristina Oom and Sebastian Michanek (modern dance) | Light Beings | ||||
| Czech Republic | Monika Hejduková and Viktor Konvalinka (Youth Jury Choice) | The Twilight of Innocence | ||||
| 2005 | June 24 | National Theatre, Warsaw, Poland | TVP | Netherlands | Milou Nuyens | Snakesense |
| 2011 | Dansens Hus, Oslo, Norway | NRK | Norway | Daniel Sarr | Full Force | |
| 2013 | June 14 | Baltic State Opera, Gdańsk, Poland | TVP | Netherlands | Sedrig Verwoert | The 5th Element |
| 2015 | June 19 | New Theatre, Plzeň, Czech Republic | ČT | Poland | Viktoria Nowak | Piece in Old Style |
| 2017 | December 16 | Prague Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic | Paulina Bidzińska | La Certa |
Countries[]
| Country | Debut year | Final entry | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 2015 | RTSH | |
| Armenia | 2003 | 2013 | Armenia TV (2003) ARMTV (2013) |
| Austria | 1987 | 2001 | ORF |
| Belarus | 2013 | BTRC | |
| Belgium | 1985 | 2005 | Dutch: VRT French: RTBF |
| Bulgaria | 1991 | BNT | |
| Canada | 1987 | 1989 | CBC |
| Croatia | 2011 | HRT | |
| Cyprus | 1989 | 2005 | CyBC |
| Czech Republic | 1999 | 2017 | ČT |
| Denmark | 1985 | 1993 | DR |
| Estonia | 1993 | 2003 | ERR |
| Finland | 1985 | 2005 | Yle |
| France | 1985 | 1999 | FR3 (1985–1991) France Télévisions (1993–1999) |
| Germany | 1985 | 2017 | ZDF (1985–2001) WDR (ARD) (2011–2017) |
| Greece | 1993 | 2011 | ERT |
| Hungary | 1995 | 1999 | MTV |
| Ireland | 2001 | RTÉ | |
| Italy | 1985 | 1991 | RAI |
| Kosovo | 2011 | RTK | |
| Latvia | 1997 | 2005 | LTV |
| Malta | 2015 | 2017 | PBS |
| Netherlands | 1985 | 2015 | NOS (1985–1991, 2001–2003) NPS (1999, 2005) NTR (2011–2015) |
| Norway | 1993 | 2017 | NRK |
| Poland | 1989 | 2017 | TVP |
| Portugal | 1989 | 2017 | RTP |
| Romania | 2003 | 2005 | TVR |
| Russia | 1995 | RTR | |
| Slovakia | 1997 | 2015 | STV (1997) RTVS (2015) |
| Slovenia | 1993 | 2017 | RTVSLO |
| Spain | 1985 | 1999 | TVE |
| Sweden | 1985 | 2017 | SVT |
| Switzerland | 1985 | 2003 | SRG SSR |
| Ukraine | 2001 | 2013 | NTU |
| United Kingdom | 1985 | 2005 | BBC |
| Yugoslavia | 1987 | 1991 | JRT |
Non-participant broadcasters[]
| Country | Broadcaster(s) | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland | Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) | 2003 |
| Jordan | Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) | 1989 |
| Puerto Rico | Unknown | 2003 |
| Serbia and Montenegro | Udruženje javnih radija i televizija (UJRT) |
Presenters[]
| Year | Presenter(s) | Backstage host |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Carla Fracci and Gheorghe Iancu | none |
| 1987 | Margot Werner | |
| 1989 | Zizi Jeanmaire and Alain Duault | |
| 1991 | Taina Elg and Heikki Värtsi | |
| 1993 | Anneli Alhanko and John Chrispinsson | |
| 1995 | Geraldine Chaplin and Jean-Pierre Pastori | |
| 1997 | Grażyna Torbicka and Bogusław Kaczyński (semi-finals) Henk van der Meulen (finals) | |
| 1999 | Alex Taylor | |
| 2001 | Deborah Bull | |
| 2003 | Aldith Hunkar | |
| 2005 | Agata Konarska | |
| 2011 | Erik Solbakken | |
| 2013 | Tomasz Kammel | Michael Nunn and William Trevitt |
| 2015 | Libor Bouček | Cameron McMillan |
| 2015 | Libor Bouček and Angeé Roučková | none |