| Eurovision Young Dancers | |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Final: | 16 June 1985 |
| Presenters: | Carla Fracci [1] |
| Exproducer: | Ilio Catani |
| Exsupervisor: | Frank Naef |
| Director: | Eros Macchi Nevio Sivini |
| Host: | Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) |
| Venue: | Teatro Municipale, Reggio Emilia, Italy |
| Windance: | Arantxa Argüelles |
| Vote: | A professional jury chose the top 3 participants. |
| Entries: | 11 |
| Interval: | Ballet performance from presenters repertoire |
| Green: | Y |
The Eurovision Young Dancers 1985 was the first edition of the Eurovision Young Dancers, held at Teatro Municipale in Reggio Emilia, Italy on 16 June 1985.[2] Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), dancers from eleven countries participated in the televised final.
Arantxa Argüelles of Spain won the contest, with Norway and Sweden placing second and third respectively.[3]
Teatro Municipale (also since the 1980s called the Teatro Municipale Valli due to being named after the actor Romolo Valli), a theatre in Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy was the host venue for the 1985 edition of the Eurovision Young Dancers.[2]
Following the destruction by fire of the 1741 Teatro Cittadella in April 1851, the new theatre was designed by the architect Cesare Costa and constructed in the neoclassic style between 1852 and 1857.[4] Its inauguration took place on 21 April 1857 with the performance of the Vittor Pisani by local composer Achille Peri.
The format consists of dancers who are non-professional and between the ages of 16–21, competing in a performance of dance routines of their choice, which they have prepared in advance of the competition. All of the acts then take part in a choreographed group dance during 'Young Dancers Week'.[5]
Jury members of a professional aspect and representing the elements of ballet, contemporary, and modern dancing styles, score each of the competing individual and group dance routines. The overall winner upon completion of the final dances is chosen by the professional jury members.[5]
The interval act was a ballet performance from presenters repertoire.[1]
Awards were given to the top three countries. The table below highlights these using gold, silver, and bronze. The placing results of the remaining participants is unknown and never made public by the European Broadcasting Union.[3]
| Draw | Country | Participant | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Anneke Lönnroth | - | |
| 02 | Arantxa Argüelles | 1 | |
| 03 | Ariane van de Vyver and Ben Huys | - | |
| 04 | Arne Fagerholt | 2 | |
| 05 | Christine Landault and Stephane Elizabe | - | |
| 06 | Jeanette den Blijker and Ruben Brugman | - | |
| 07 | Maria Almeida and Errol Pickford | - | |
| 08 | Mia Stagh and Göran Svalberg | 3 | |
| 09 | Sabrina Vitangeli | - | |
| 10 | Stefanie Eckhof | - | |
| 11 | Xavier Ferla | - | |
The jury members consisted of the following:[6]
The 1985 Young Dancers competition was broadcast in at least 11 countries. It was also reportedly broadcast in the Soviet Union via Intervision.[1]
| + Broadcasters in participating countries | ||||
| Country | Broadcaster | Channel(s) | Commentator(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRT | TV2 | |||
| YLE | ||||
| FR3 | ||||
| ZDF | ||||
| RAI | Rai Tre | [8] | ||
| NOS | Nederland 2 | Joop van Zijl | [9] | |
| NRK | NRK Fjernsynet | [10] | ||
| TVE | TVE 2 | [11] | ||
| SVT | TV2 | [12] | ||
| SRG SSR | TSI | [13] [14] [15] [16] | ||
| TSR | ||||
| TV DRS | ||||
| BBC | BBC2 | Humphrey Burton and Annette Page | [17] | |