English National Ballet has presented four Emerging Dancer awards, recognising artistic distinction, technical excellence, versatility, and Audience Choice, which was voted for on the night. This year’s Corps de Ballet Award was also announced.
The Emerging Dancer 2026 award winners are:
Artistic Distinction Award: Jakob Wheway Hughes
Technical Excellence Award: Zai Calliste
Versatility Award: Yihan Qin
Audience Choice Award: Jakob Wheway Hughes
and
Anna Ciriano was awarded this year’s Corps de Ballet Award
A recording of the event will be available to watch for free on English National Ballet’s YouTube channel from Thursday 4 June at 6 pm.
Aaron S. Watkin, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, said:
Emerging Dancer is about giving artists the opportunity to challenge themselves, gain confidence and share their individuality on stage. It was especially exciting to see not only the exceptional talent on display this year, but also the spirit of collaboration and support across the whole company.
The judging panel included former La Scala Theatre Ballet Artistic Director Manuel Legris; choreographer and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips; celebrated dancer and advocate Cira Robinson; Aaron S. Watkin; and English National Ballet’s Artistic team. English National Ballet Philharmonic performed was conducted by Kingsley Lin.
The six Emerging Dancer 2026 participants were Zai Calliste, Thalina Chapin, Yihan Qin, Anri Sugiura, Sacha Venkatasawmy and Jakob Wheway Hughes. They performed classical pas de deux alongside contemporary solos, which were choreographed by company dancers. The evening’s programme also included performances of three new works, developed by company dancers Alice Bellini, Rentaro Nakaaki and Eric Snyder through Studio Sessions, English National Ballet’s platform dedicated to developing choreographic talent within the company.
Zai Calliste
Zai Calliste started dancing at the age of six, training at Ann Roberts School of Dance, Townsville, and Annette Roselli Dance Academy in Brisbane, before finishing training at English National Ballet School from 2022 to 2025, where he took on the role of Prince Siegfried in My First Ballet: Swan Lake. He joined English National Ballet in 2025 as an Artist of the Company.
Thalina Chapin
Thalina Chapin, born in France, trained at Centre Chorégraphique Christian Conte, Martine Chaumet under Martine Chaumet, Christian Conte and Alexandre Nipau, John Cranko Schule under Natalia Gasmaeva and Maria Eichwald. She joined English National Ballet in 2024, after previously dancing with Ballet Dortmund. Roles with the Company include Derek Deane’s Swan Lake in-the-round, Xin Peng Wang’s Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Serenade, Michel Fokine’s Sylphides, Uwe Scholz’s Schöpfung and Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc.
Yihan Qin
Yihan Qin, born in China, trained at the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy, before joining English National Ballet in 2026 as an Artist of the Company. Qin achieved 4th place at the Prix de Lausanne 2026, and her repertoire includes Clara in The Nutcracker, and a wide range of classical variations and pas de deux at international competitions.
Anri Sugiura
Anri Sugiura, born in Hyogo, Japan, started her training at Seiko Kuramoto Ballet School in Japan in 2007, before moving to Académie de danse Princesse Grace in Monaco. Upon graduating, Anri joined Semperoper Ballett Dresden in 2021 before joining English National Ballet in 2024. Promoted to First Artist in 2025, Anri’s repertoire includes Ice Queen in Watkin and Smith’s Nutcracker, and Forsythe’s Playlist (EP).
Sacha Venkatasawmy
Sacha Venkatasawmy joined English National Ballet in 2025 as an Artist of the Company. Sacha trained at White Lodge Royal Ballet School, Royal Ballet Upper School, and Dutch National Ballet Academy, before joining Dutch National Ballet. Roles with the Company include Hungarian Dance in Raymonda, Skeleton in Lopez Ochoa’s Frida, and Sequidilla in Ratmansky’s Don Quixoto.
Jakob Wheway Hughes
Jakob Wheway Hughes joined the Company as an Artist of the Company in 2025, following training at Corraine Collins Dance Studio and Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Roles with English National Ballet include Fair Cavalier in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty, Kead Makivnyk and Turron in Aaron S. Watkin and Arielle Smith’s Nutcracker, as well as George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.
