24 replies to this topic

[Natalia]

This is the first big competition of the new year.  As most of you know, it is quite unique in that only pre-professional students compete & the prizes are scholarships to top ballet academies around the world.

It is also unique in that the finals can be seen by anyone around the world who possesses a computer with internet access - yes, the finals are 'webcast.' It should be fun to reserve those dates &, perhaps, those of us interested can see it & 'comment' on the procedings as they go along (write our comments on this board, going back-and-forth between the two websites), as if we all were sitting together in the auditorium in lausanne. Think about it. If there's enough interest then we can 'meet' in cyberspace!

Here is the link to the competition website:

http://www.prixdelau...ats_up/home.asp

Click on the "LiveandPictures" subdirectory near the top of the home page to access the link to the competition films. [The link to this year's finals is not up yet but plans are to do the webcast again, for sure.] To view any of the competition films, or this year's live webcast, you will need to have RealPlayer on your computer...which can be downloaded for FREE from the Lausanne competition site. It's in the "LiveandPictures" subdirectory.

In the meantime - How about competitors? Does anybody know anyone who will be competiting? Any Americans or UK-based dancers? Other countries? Please feel free to share your insights!

- Jeannie

[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

[OttawaMom]

Thought you might find this article from the National Ballet School (Toronto, Canada) interesting:

http://www.nationalb...o/lausanne.html

[Natalia]

Thanks for the link & interesting news about the new Natl.BalletCanada-Prix de lausanne connection, Ottawamom!

A number of top winners from the Prix de Lausanne have gone on to train at the NBC school, haven't they? The lyrical Yuriko Kajija (now with ABT Studio Company) comes to mind. She won the top-top prize at Lausanne just two years ago. Immediately after her advanced studies at NBC academy she received the offer to join the ABT Studio Company.

- Jeannie

[Natalia]

I'm bumping this one back up, as Prix de Lausanne is happening this week, with finals on Sunday, Feb. 3.

I notice that four American girls have entered (no boys); two Canadian boys (no girls); seven Russians (5 girls + 2 boys)...and many, many from other countries, of course. Total of 115 competitors will enter the initial round:  100 girls & only 15 boys!! Seventy semifinalists will be selected from the initial pool of 115 entries, by virtue of their classes (jury watches students-dancers go through typical class). Performances on stage happen in the semifinal & final rounds only.

Following is the schedule for the week. Any comments/insights from people-who-know-people attending the competition are welcome!

*source: prix de lausanne website*****


                Sunday 27 and Monday 28 January

                • Registration and general information

                • Classical and contemporary lessons
                

                Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 January

                Eliminations:
                • The classical and contemporary lessons will take place behind closed
                doors. The final part will be devoted to the study of an enchaînement.
                Its interpretation will be immediately judged by the jury.

                • Selection of 70 candidates

                • Rehearsal of contemporary variations with the choreographers.
                

                Thursday 31 January and Friday 1 February

                • Classical lessons and rehearsal of the variations with étoile dancers.

                • On Friday morning, the candidates will present their classical
                variation in rehearsal dress before the jury.

                • Selection of 30 candidates
                
                


                Saturday 2 February 4 PM: SEMI-FINAL

                • Classical variation girls-boys

                • Intermission

                • Contemporary variations girls-boys.

                The number of semi-finalists is limited to a maximum of 30 candidates
                with at least 10 from category P (private school), as opposed to
                category I (state institutions or subsidised schools)
                
                


                Sunday 3 February 2.45 PM: FINAL

                From 2.15 PM:

                • Class on stage

                • Classical variations girls-boys

                • Contemporary variations girls-boys

                • Free variations girls-boys

                • Intermission

                The number of finalists is limited to 15 candidates with at least 5
                from category P.
                
                

                6.00 PM:

                PRIZEGIVING CEREMONY

                Presentation of the awards to the prize-winners of the 2002 Prix de
                Lausanne.
                The final of the 30th Prix de Lausanne is broadcast by the Swiss Radio
                and Television Corporation.

[ January 29, 2002: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

[BW]

Why is it that this competition is not shown on television here? I just don't understand it. Does it all come down to advertising dollars?

There are so many people who would love to see this! I've tried looking at in on my computer but it just isn't any good...perhaps it's because I don't have a DSL line.   frown.gif

[linsusanr]

I also wish that at least one ballet competition were shown on television.  I remember a long time ago one was televised on PBS, with a 13-year old Katherine Healy winning the gold (can't remember which competition it was, I was very young).  Does anyone know if any competitions will be on TV this year?  *sigh*  What would we do without PBS -- and it doesn't even broadcast much ballet anymore   frown.gif  

BW, I agree with you about the advertising dollars.  Just wait for the Super Bowl and Olympics -- advertising melee!

[Natalia]

linsusanr - You are thinking about the 1982 Jackson, Mississippi competition (Jackson IBC). It even had as emcee, of all people, Dick Button (famous ABC-TV skating commentator & Olympic gold medalist...you either love him or leave him...). Kathy Healy won the silver medal, jr division, at 1982 Jackson. The following year, she topped that by winning the gold medal at Varna. She was principal of Vienna State Opera Ballet before retiring in the mid-90s (she was 26 or 27) & married a famous figure skating coach soon after.

The Jackson IBC takes place once again this June 2002. The final gala is usually broadcasted over Mississippi Public TV.

Almost all of the competitions that I have attended -- or read about -- are broadcasted within the host country, to some degree or another (Varna IBC is shown on Bulgarian TV, Moscow IBC is shown on Kultura, Shanghai IBC's full final round + gala were shown on CCTV, etc.). Not so with America's big IBC competition. Heaven forbid that it would take air-space away from such popular PBS offerings like 'Antiques Road Show,' or 'You Too Can Become a Millionaire with Suzie Orman' (or whatever the heck her name is).

[linsusanr]

Wow, Jeannie, thanks for the clarification and details!  I remember wishing Dick Button would just leave!  I'm in California, so I guess I won't hope for any broadcasting of the Jackson competition ... But I can hope, can't I?  

As for Ms. Healy, I didn't realize that she retired so early.  I do remember her wonderful appearance in one of the Vienna New Year's Concerts a few years ago where she danced a Josef Strauss Polka Mazurka.  She was gorgeous in that one, and I was glad to see her dance.

[Natalia]

Round One ended yesterday & Round Two commences today. The following information is from a 'secret agent' who is following the Lausanne happenings for me:
************
Only 1 American( Ginger Smith) Made it to the 2nd round of the Prix
de Lausaunne. Don't know anything about her.      The list [of Round Two qualifiers) is dominated w/ Japanese and Korean dancers.
************
Too bad for the Americans. Anybody know of/about Ms Smith? That's quite an accomplishment, especially against brilliant dancers from Asia...the continent of multiple-medalists in these competitions. Japan & Korea -- along with China -- are taking the ballet competition world (& plain-ols-ballet-world) by storm; no surprise that it would be the same here!

[vrsfanatic]

Ginger Smith is an extremely talented young girl from Phoenix, Arizona area. I know two years ago she won the junior Grand Prix for Youth America. She is a real beauty. We offered her a scholarship maybe 4 years ago, but she stayed home to study. She was working with the same teacher as David Hallenburg ( I think is his name, the boy who was in ABT Studio and now the company). The teacher is a very gifted man, but unforunately I cannot remember his name. He is Asian. Obviously  she has done well. Go Ginger!

[ January 31, 2002: Message edited by: vrsfanatic ]

[OttawaMom]

Does anybody know anything about my fellow Canadian, Matthew Golding?  Where is he from, where does he dance?  Just curious!  Thanks!

[Natalia]

Thanks for the info on Ginger Smith, vrsfanatic.

Hopefully someone else can answer the questions about the Canadian lad, Golding.

[bhough]

Matt Golding is a student at the Kirov Academy in Washington, DC.  Another competitor, Hyo Jung Kang, representing Korea, is also a student at the Kirov Academy.

[Natalia]

Thanks, bhough! You see what happens when I'm out of town & skip a Kirov Acad concert. Is there any end to the pool of talent at that place?

I wonder if Hyo Jun Kang is related to Yena Kang (of ABT corps, who graduated Kirov Acad a year or two before Michele Wiles)?

[Natalia]

Following are the 15 dancers who advanced to tomorrow's final round. Hey-hey...Ginger Smith + the two Kirov Acad students (Golding & Kang) are still in it!!!! Way to go!!!!!    smile.gif  

Not just an Asian sweep thus far...six of the 15 finalists are from former-USSR. The two North Americans. But no Western Europe???!!! By the way, I remember both Milena Sidorova (Ukraine) & Maria Kochetkova (Russia) from last summer's Moscow IBCs that I attended - Sidorova was a stand-out in contemporary with a clever pillow dance (I'll have to check my program notes...both Kochetkova & Sidorova won bronze medals in Moscow).

Remember - the finals will be WEBCAST LIVE, in their entirety, tomorrow (Sunday, Feb 3), beginning at 2:45 pm Lausanne, Switzerland time...that's six hrs ahead of Eastern USA time (8:45 am Washington DC, for example). You need to have RealPlayer installed in your computer, which you can download for free in its basic version. There is a link to the download of RealPlayer in the Prix de Lausanne website itself, at the bottom of the 'Live Webcasts' page. [URL in my original post, at top of this thread.]
LIST OF FINALISTS:
****source: Prix de Lausanne website****

003 Milena Sidorova, Ukraine

005 Hitomi Takeda, Japon

019 Soo-Youn Cho, Corée

033 Yurie Matsuura, Japon

035 Sang Yi Han, Corée

038 Seo-yeon Yu, Corée

053 Hyo Jung Kang, Corée

070 Yuhui Choe, Corée

077 Ginger Smith, USA

093 Maria Kotchetkova, Russie

109 Maksat Koubanychbek, Kirghizistan

111 Matthew Golding, Canada

116 Arman Grigoryan, Arménie

118 Vitali Safronkine, Russie

123 Dinu Tamazlacaru, Moldavie

Who will win the top prizes tomorrow. Ooooo...can't wait to find out.

[ February 03, 2002: Message edited by: Jeannie ]