London, October 3 (AIN-RHC) -- Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, the Royal Ballet's Principal Guest Artist, will be ambassador for the BBC's "Young Dancer 2015" search, the broadcaster said Thursday.

Dancers between the ages of 16 and 20 will compete in four categories: ballet, contemporary, hip-hop and South Asian.

Young people will vie for six slots in the May 9th final, to take place at Sadler's Wells in London. The winner will be decided by a panel comprising choreographers Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor and Kenrick Sandy, along with English National Ballet artistic director Tamara Rojo and her counterpart with Sadler's Wells, Alistair Spalding.

Acosta said he was "honored" to be a part of the contest. He told reporters: "I was discovered in a project like this in 1990. It is important - the more we do projects like this, the better future dancers get."

Spalding said that "Carlos is there to give star quality but his story is one that should appeal to everyone. He came from a very poor background in Cuba and achieved what he did through a competition - the Prix de Lausanne."

Rojo said she was confident the initiative could "raise the profile of dance once again." She said: "Dance is a natural instinct - every society, every culture around the world dances, so I think maybe we just have to push people off of their sofas a little bit and let them join us."