The Dance Section of the Critics' Circle in the UK has just announced the short list for its annual National Dance Awards - for details see the Press Release

Some interesting choices to be made! There is an Audience Award for favourite company but the other categories are decided by votes from the members of the Critics' Circle (which includes me, to declare an interest).

The National Dance Awards website proclaims, slightly misleadingly, that the dance awards "are presented by the Critics' Circle - the critics and journalists who see and review companies on a daily basis."

Lest it be assumed that all national critics belong to the Critics' Circle and hence have a hand in these awards, let me clarify. Among the 60 or so members of the Critics' Circle dance section there were, until last spring, the current dance critics for the 10 national daily and weekly newspapers. However, three of them - Clement Crisp of the Financial Times, Louise Levene of the Sunday Telegraph and I myself, from the Daily Telegraph - have resigned and would emphasise that we have nothing to do with the awards or nominations.

Ismene Brown