From the beginning of the week, 74 candidates from all over the world have attended daily classes, coaching and rehearsals with prestigious professionals in the field. Carefully observed by 9 jury members, the candidates have all had one goal in mind: to perform their classical and contemporary variations on stage for a live audience at the Beaulieu Theatre.
Their potential was not only assessed by considering their technical facility, but also their ability to give an imaginative and sensitive response to the music. The candidates have had to master the traditional classical repertoire as well as the contemporary creations of Louise Deleur, Richard Wherlock, Jorma Elo, Mauro Bigonzetti or Wayne McGregor.
This year, the Artistic director of the HET National Ballet, Ted Brandsen, is President of the jury. As internationally-renowned dance professionals, they selected the 21 most promising talents who have outdone themselves the most.
The 21 finalists of the Prix de Lausanne 2018 are:
112 – PARK Hanna — South Korea — 15.5 years old
115 – YANG Irene — Canada — 15.8 years old
125 – TENG Ronger — China — 16.2 years old
126 – MISSELDINE Chloe — USA — 16.3 years old
134 – GUO Wenjin — China — 16.8 years old
135 – GELFER-MÜNDL Aviva — USA — 16.1 years old
201 – CARMECI Finnian — USA — 15.2 years old
203 – MORIWAKI Takayuki — Japan — 15.8 years old
206 – YERG Makani — USA — 16 years old
207 – LEE Junsu — South Korea — 16.1 years old
210 – SNYDER Eric — USA — 16.1 years old
301 – XU Jingyi — China — 17.3 years old
303 – GALVAO Carolyne — Brazil — 17.5 years old
309 – ZHAO Xinyue — China — 17.11 years old
310 – OKI Aina — Japan — 18 years old
313 – NAM Minji — South Korea — 18.5 years old
407 – WAGMAN Shale — Canada — 17.9 years old
409 – ZAGIDULLIN Ervin — Russia — 18 years old
412 – ARANDA MAIDANA Miguel Angel David — Paraguay — 18.6 years old
413 – LORICCHIO Davide — Italy — 18.7 years old
416 – BAREMAN Lukas — Belgium — 18.1 years old
The 21 selected candidates are from 10 different countries and the most represented is the United-States with 5 candidates, and then China with 4 candidates. Davide Loricchio is the sole Italian candidate still in the running, and there are no dancers from the UK.
8 of the finalists will receive one of the scholarships/apprenticeships, for which the Prix de Lausanne is so well-known for. The Prize Winners receive the unique opportunity to choose among the most prominent schools and companies of ballet in the world.
The Finals will take place on Saturday 3 February 2018 starting at 2.30pm. It will be live streamed on the website of the Prix de Lausanne, ARTE Concert and Facebook. The results will be announced around 7pm.
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
