A CHOREOGRAPHER from Meldreth has reached the final of a top European dance competition, and could pocket the top prize of £25,000. Anna Williams is one of five finalists in the Place Prize for Dance 2008, having beaten off competition from 170 other appl

A CHOREOGRAPHER from Meldreth has reached the final of a top European dance competition, and could pocket the top prize of £25,000.

Anna Williams is one of five finalists in the Place Prize for Dance 2008, having beaten off competition from 170 other applicants to make the final.

She said: "The Place Prize is like the Turner Prize of the dance world so I'm absolutely delighted to have got through. I've only been a choreographer for four years, so I'm relatively inexperienced."

Anna, of North End, Meldreth, was one of 20 choreographers to be selected by a panel of judges for the semi-finals. Here she was given £5,000 and asked to come up with an original piece of dance.

Her creation, entitled Clearing, had been running at the Place Theatre in London for 10 nights, alongside the 19 other dances.

Last Thursday, it was chosen by the judges to go through to the final.

"Now we get another 10-night run, and the overall winner is announced at the end of that," said Anna.

"It's a fantastic chance to get noticed, as a lot of people have been coming through the door.

"I like my compositions to really focus on the people who are dancing, not just the dance itself. Clearing is about two women who meet in a place to dance a duet, one of whom keeps disappearing," she said.

Anna graduated from London Contemporary Dance School and went on to perform with Ricochet Dance Company for nine years. Her choreography credits include collaborations with The Gate Theatre, London, and The Barbican.

The winner of the Place Prize 2008 will be announced next Saturday.