All amateur performers that received diploma awards (or 90% +) in local arts festivals, eisteddfods or competitions are invited to participate at national level by entering the 13th NEA Young Performer Awards Competition. This offers every aspiring performer in the country the chance to be awarded the Best Performer in South Africa and share in the prize money in excess of R50, 000!
Founded by the National Eisteddfod Academy, the annual NEA Young Performer Awards Competition provides a national platform where the best young performers in music, dance and drama, as identified at various festivals and competitions, can compete and showcase their talents. The NEA, supported by the National Lotteries Commission, also manages the National Eisteddfod of South Africa™, the largest eisteddfod platform in the country.
In the interests of all talented young performers in the country and to create additional opportunities for exposure and development for as many of them as possible, the NEA would like to join hands with other eisteddfods or festivals. Organisers of these events are most welcome to nominate and enter their top achievers under the name of their organisation for participation in the NEA Young Performer Awards Competition.
The NEA has proven to be a springboard for many future achievements: Henno William (silver medalists in the NEA Awards 2015) and Isabella Jane Snyman were both finalists in E-TV’s recent SA’s got talent competition; Andile Ndlovu and Camille Bracher were top achievers at the 2007 International Ballet Competition. Ndlovu, also a finalist in KykNet’s “Dance, Dance, Dance”, is currently with the Washington Ballet, one of the USA’s most prestigious dance companies; Carmen Pretorius, a rising star in the entertainment industry, has performed in Mamma Mia, Cinderella, Jersey Boys and the South African movie Lien se Lankstaanskoene, amongst others; Rough Silence, the talented guitarist duo of Jason Day and Merrick Kyle, recently won the Marshall Music Acoustic Competition; Ying-Shan Tseng, the 2009 Most Inspiring Performer even attracted the attention of the Chinese government and Death Rattle, a dance group, was invited to perform for the title shoot of a TV programme (2009).
Participants in this competition will have the opportunity to either perform live or to submit a video recording of the performances on DVD for adjudication in the first round of this prestigious competition. This now gives young performers in remote areas, who were previously unable to enter, a unique opportunity to compete against their peers.
There will be four rounds of adjudication - all four rounds will take place at the Roodepoort Theatre, starting with the first round from 15 February to 17 March, concluding with the final round on 21 May.
The semi-final round takes place from 9 to 14 May and will be presented as evening concerts at the Roodepoort Theatre, each one dedicated to a different genre (i.e. Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Dance and Drama).
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