The nomination is further recognition for the Company following the earlier nominations of dancer Jonathan Goddard in The Times Breakthrough category of the South Bank Show Awards, and the Company for a National Dance Award.

The South Bank Show Awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the full range of the arts. Nominated alongside Richard Alston Dance Company in the dance category for 2007 are The Royal Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre. Previous winners of the award include Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Sylvie Guillem.

The 2007 South Bank Show Awards will be presented at a ceremony hosted by Melvyn Bragg at the Savoy Hotel, London, on Tuesday 23 January; the ceremony will later be shown on ITV1.

The nominations for Richard Alston Dance Company follow a busy and successful 2006. Three new works were premiered during the year, two choreographed by Richard Alston and the third by Company dancer Martin Lawrance. A London season at Sadler's Wells in March/April received rave reviews, as did appearances at the Barbican's Steve Reich festival in September and the Martha @ The Wells gala which closed the Dance Umbrella 2006 festival in November. The Company also completed its first tour of the USA, as well as touring throughout the UK.

Richard Alston Dance Company will visit the USA again in January 2007, and tour the UK from February, including a season at Sadler's Wells from Wednesday 28 - Saturday 31 March, which will see the premiere of two further new works. -- www.theplace.org.uk