Prix de Lausanne 2023 – the full lineup

The Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 will be given to Carlos Acosta CBE, a Prix de Lausanne Prize Winner in 1990 and current Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

The Prix de Lausanne 2023 50th anniversary complete programme, finishing with a Gala of the Stars on Sunday, 5 February is now confirmed.

Lifetime Achievement Award to Carlos Acosta

At the end of the competition Finals, the Prix de Lausanne will award Cuban dancer and Birmingham Royal Ballet Director Carlos Acosta. Acosta was a Gold Medalist at the 1990 Prix de Lausanne – one of the true success stories of the competition, so presenting him with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award while celebrating the competition's 50th anniversary truly holds a particular emotion.

Two new teachers in the competition

The Prix de Lausanne will have two new teachers in its artistic team. Classical classes for boys will be taught by Julio Bocca, and contemporary classes by Lakey E. Peña, Rehearsal Director at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

50th anniversary's special events

There will be many special events during the anniversary edition of the Prix de Lausanne:

• From today to 31 March, Beau-Rivage Palace: exhibition of Gregory Batardon's work, official photographer of the Prix de Lausanne since 2011, who proposes a selection of personal favourites for the occasion. More information
• From Monday 23 January to Monday 6 February, Lausanne's Grand-Pont: large-scale exhibition of Julie Masson's work, who was the ‘carte blanche' photographer of the competition's 2022 edition. More information
• Monday 30 January, 6.30pm, Beaulieu Theatre: unveiling of the archive project created in collaboration with the EPFL's Experimental Museology Laboratory (eM+). Presentation of the Linear Navigator, a digital structure allowing to showcase 50 years of multimedia archive of the Prix de Lausanne.
• Monday, 30 January, 6.30pm, Beau-Rivage Palace: book signing session for “50 starry years” with its author, Jean Pierre Pastori, and the Jury members 2023. More information
• Tuesday, 31 January, 6pm, Beaulieu Theatre: Conversation with the Jury, moderated by Jean Pierre Pastori.More information
• Wednesday, 1 February, 6.30pm, Beaulieu Theatre: presentation evening of two choreographic projects of the Prix de Lausanne and its Partner schools: the Young Creation Award Finals and a public rehearsal of the Partner School Choreographic Project with Goyo Montero. More information
• Saturday, 4 February, 1pm, Beaulieu Theatre: Press conference with Jean-Christophe Maillot (President of the 2023 Jury), Carlos Acosta (Lifetime Achievement Award 2023), Kathryn Bradney (Artistic and Executive Director of the Prix de Lausanne) and Stéphane Lagonico (President of the Prix de Lausanne's Foundation's Board). Registration with the press officer
• Saturday, 4 February, 2.30pm, Beaulieu Theatre: Finals of the Prix de Lausanne 2023 – 50^th edition
• Sunday, 5 February, 2pm, Beaulieu Theatre: Premiere of the docu-film “Le Prix”, directed by Alain Wirth and Nuria Manzur-Wirth, on the occasion of the Prix de Lausanne's 50^th anniversary. The film follows four candidates around the globe in their journey to the competition. The screening will be followed by a talk and a Q&A session with its directors. More information
• Sunday, 5 February, 4.30pm, Beaulieu Theatre: Gala of the Stars with performances of former Prix de Lausanne Prize Winners, most of whom have become world-class artists, Principal dancers and Étoiles. More information and ticketing

Gala of the Stars, 5 February 2023

Precious Adams
Soloist, English National Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2014

Alejandro Azorín
First Soloist,  SemperOper Ballett
Candidate, Prix de Lausanne 2011

António Casalinho
First Soloist, Bayerisches Staatsballett
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2021

Victor Caixeta
First Soloist,  Dutch National Ballet
Candidate, Prix de Lausanne 2015

Elisa Badenes
Principal Dancer, the Stuttgart Ballet
Candidate, Prix de Lausanne 2008

Matthew Ball
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet

Mackenzie Brown
Soloist, the Stuttgart Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2019 

Alina Cojocaru
Former Principal Dancer, the Royal Ballet & the English National Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 1997

Laura Fernandez
Principal Dancer,  State Ballet of Georgia
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2016

Margarita Fernandez
Soloist, Bayerisches Staatsballett

Marcelo Gomes
Ballet Master and Principal Dancer, SemperOper Ballett
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 1996 

Francesca Hayward
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet

Maria Kochetkova
Freelance Principal Dancer, Curator and Producer
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2002

Julian Mackay
Principal Dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2015

Mayara Magri
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2011

Steven McRae
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2003

Vadim Muntagirov
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2006

Xander Parish
Principal Dancer, The Norwegian National Ballet
Dancer, Interlude Prix de Lausanne 2018

Marcelino Sambé
Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet
Finalist, Prix de Lausanne 2010

Olga Smirnova
Principal Dancer, Dutch National Ballet

Eric Snyder
Artist, English National Ballet
Finalist, Prix de Lausanne 2018
Candidate, Prix de Lausanne 2020

Mizuka Ueno
Principal Dancer, the Tokyo Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 1993

Friedemann Vogel
Principal Dancer, the Stuttgart Ballet
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 1997

Madison Young
Principal Dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett
Prize Winner, Prix de Lausanne 2016

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.