LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Prix de Lausanne dance competition is now underway, and as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations it is turning firmly to the future with new multimedia coverage and opening its doors more widely to the public to show that it has come of age.
The basics for 2012: 79 candidates, 19 different nationalities, selected from 226 applicants on the basis of the videos they submitted. They compete in Lausanne for a week for 20 places in the finals Saturday 4 February. Of this group, eight will be selected for year-long scholarships to one of the 65 Prix de Lausanne partner schools and dance companies, among them some of the top names in the world.
The competition was created in 1972 by Philippe and Elvire Braunschweig and it has developed, particularly in the past five years, into a major international competition in the dance world.
Japanese students are the largest group, with 15 dancers this year, followed by 6 each from South Korea and the US, and 3 from China. Their work sessions are followed closely by the Prix de Lausanne’s videoblog, available on YouTube.
Two young but internationally renowned choreographers who are known to Swiss audiences have prepared works for the competition: Cathy Marsten of Bern Ballet and Didy Veldman, who is working with Geneva’s Grand Theatre.
This year, for the first time, the finals will be commented live on the web in four languages by four prize winners, a lucky move for ballet lovers because seats for the finals have been sold out.
Events open to the public
Lecture demonstration: Tuesday 31 January 17:00-18:15, free of charge.
Selections: Tuesday 31 January, from 09:15 to 13:00 and 14.15 to 16.00, contemporary classes
Selections: Wednesday, 1 February, from 0 08:15 to 09:30, 11:30 to 12:45 and 13:45 to 15:00,
classical classes
Selections: Thursday, 2 February from 08:45 to 20.00, coaching of classical variations
Selections: Friday, 2 February, classical and contemporary variations in front of jury (15-16-year-olds,
09.45 to 12.00, 17-18-year-olds, 13:15 to 16.30)
Finals: Saturday, 4 February, 15:00 to 18:30 (20 finalists: classical and contemporary variations in front of jury), “Interlude Performances” by the London Royal Ballet School and the Danish Royal Ballet School. sold out
Gala: Sunday, 5 February, at 17:00 pm
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News story, GenevaLunch, 31 January 2012.
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Tags: ballet, compettion, dance, dancers, nationalities, open to public, Prix de Lausanne, programme, scholarships, Switzerland, tickets