After an intense week of rehearsals, the final countdown is underway for Today's (14 June) Eurovision Young Dancers competition at the Baltic Opera and Baltic Dance Theatre in Gdańsk, Poland.

The contest showcases the best in contemporary dance styles—including jazz, contemporary and hip hop—and is open to artists between the ages of 16 and 21.

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Executive Supervisor Vladislav Yakovlev says the show promises to be even better this year due to a change in format. In addition to a solo performance, each artist will participate in a group dance choreographed by renowned British choreographers the BalletBoyz.

Two acts will be selected to go into the next round to perform an improvised dance, and the jury will then pick the final winner following a much anticipated "dance-off" duel.

The ten public service broadcasters competing in the contest, hosted by Polish broadcaster and EBU member TVP, include:

	Armenia		Poland
	Belarus		Slovenia
	Czech Republic		Sweden
	Germany		The Netherlands
	Norway		Ukraine

About the Eurovision Young Dancers competition

The Eurovision Young Dancers was first staged in Reggio Emilia, Italy in 1985 and takes place every two years, alternating with the Eurovision Young Musicians competition. The competition is open to solo dancers aged 16 and 21 from countries whose public service media are members of the EBU. Daniel Modou Sarr from Norway won the Eurovision Young Dancers 2011 in Oslo. This year's commentary team includes Luke Fisher and Grigor Bazdar, who participated in Eurovision Young Dancers in 2011.

More news and details about the participants, as well as selected archive material are available at the Eurovision Young Dancers website. Viewers in participating countries can follow the competition live on TV, or follow the live stream at 20:00 CET on:
www.youngdancers.tv