The £25,000 Prize, initiated in 2004 and sponsored by Bloomberg, is Europe’s most prestigious award for choreography.

Nina Rajarani, from London, was presented with a cheque for £25,000 by 2004 Place Prize winner Rafael Bonachela.  She also received a specially commissioned bowl designed by contemporary glassmakers Bi-Me. 

Rajarani was one of 20 choreographers commissioned to make an original  15 minute work for the competition.  These works were viewed by audiences and the panel of judges who produced a list of five finalists from which Nina’s work, entitled QUICK!, was selected as the overall Prize winner.

The panel of judges included Brian Eno and Chris Ofili.  The judges said,   

“This work of unstoppable energy places Bharatanatyam firmly in the world of London business.  A dance work with something new to say about how the world is today, it is a clear winner of The Place Prize 2006.” 

Uniquely amongst major arts prizes, the audiences at semi final and final performances at The Place had the chance to vote for an audience favourite.  The choreographer of the favourite piece each night of the final performances received £1,000. Rajarani won this accolade four times during the ten performances of the finals. The audience vote was also won by fellow finalists Jonathan Lunn (on three occasions), Freddie Opoku Addaie (on two occasions) and Luca Silvestrini (on one occasion). Lucy Suggate was the fifth finalist in the competition.

The judging panel for The Place Prize 2006 was chaired by John Ashford, Theatre Director of The Place, and comprised Robyn Archer, performance artist and festival director; Guy Cools, dance dramaturg and producer; Brian Eno, musician, producer, artist and author; Rose Fenton, independent arts producer and co-founder of LIFT; and Chris Ofili, artist.

In Rajarani’s Prize-winning piece QUICK!, four male dancers and four musicians in business dress convey the hurly burly of modern life in London using the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam.