The 48th Prix de Lausanne kicks off with 77 dancers from 25 countries

The 77 participants of the 48^th Prix de Lausanne will spend the week developing their skills and rehearsing their classical and contemporary variations with some of the world's most respected teachers and coaches. On Friday 7 February, they will perform in front of the nine jury members in order to be selected for the Finals.

Since last year, the daily live streaming time has tripled, with almost 6 hours live each day, broadcast on ARTE Concert as well as on the Prix de Lausanne's own website. The Selections and the Finals will be live-streamed in their entirety.

Like last year, the audience will be able to support a young dancer of their choice by donating through the Prix's online crowdfunding campaign and voting for their favourite finalist. The amount raised will be shared by the Audience Favourite Prize Winner and the Web Audience Favourite Prize Winner and will help them join the school or company of their choice.

Kathryn Bradney, the competition's Artistic and Executive Director said,

I am thrilled about the beginning of this exhilarating week, being in Montreux for the first time and full of young dancers brimming with exceptional talent!  There's a palpable excitement in the air as each candidate dances in front of the extraordinary jury made up of international ballet stars and directors.

This year's President of the Jury is Frédéric Olivieri, a Prix de Lausanne prize winner in 1977, and who is also an internationally renowned dance figure. This coming week promises to be an incredible experience for everyone!

Last Partner School Choreographic Project

After the great success of the 2018 and 2019 editions, the Prix de Lausanne reconducts the Partner School Choreographic Project for the last time in 2020. 26 students from all around the world are meeting in Montreux under the direction of the Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti to create a new work. The choreography will be performed during the Finals.

Interlude
On Saturday 8 February, during the Interlude performance that takes place between the Finals and the Awards Ceremony, The Royal Ballet School will perform two pieces with 13 dancers, including several Prix de Lausanne Prize Winners and Finalists. The program includes Larina Waltz by Ashley Page and an extract of Rhapsody by Frederic Ashton.

Gramilano( Editor )

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.