2015 Genée International Ballet Competition Finalists

[Bluebird]

Full details of the finalists of the 2015 Genée International Competition are now on the RAD website 

http://www.rad.org.uk/news/genee-2015-finalists-announced

 

I've pasted the list of finalists below.  The final will take place  at Sadler's Wells on Saturday September 19.:

• Lania Atkins from Australia, trained by Mark Reily, Peta Frith, Tamar Arzoumalian & Julie Wells
• Sara Carver from Canada, trained by Yao Ping Zhu, Isabel Yuan & Fiona Smith
• Madison Cronin from New Zealand, trained by Lucinda Dunn, Julie Wells & Katie Pianoff
• Megan Gerber from South Africa, trained by June Melville, Dorothy De Witt & Iain McDonald
• Makensie Henson from Australia, trained by Prudence Bowen & Heidi Landford
• Uyu Hiromoto from Japan, trained by Moritoshi Kudo & Sakae Maruyama
• Anatalia Hordov from the USA, trained by Corinne Glover & Danica Primo
• Honoka Ishihara from Japan, trained by Mika Tamaru
• Paige Rochester from Australia, trained by Prudence Bowen & Heidi Landford
• Drew Jackson from the United Kingdom, trained by Samira Saidi & Irek Mukhamedov
• Leroy Mokgatle from South Africa, trained by Christopher Montague, Sayward Harris, Angelique Harris, Heidi Wright & Angela Malan
• Robert van den Aardweg from South Africa, trained by Christopher Montague, Sayward Harris, Angelique Harris, Heidi Wright & Angela Malan

Edited September 17, 2015 by Bluebird

[Circe]

Congratulations to all those who took part in the competition it looked like a great experience and well done to those who have got through to the final. Must be super talented! I am sorry though that no UK trained girls seem to have made it through to the final this time.

[jack.b]

I think that UK trained students have only been in full time training for only 3 weeks ,the timing of the competition does not favour them .

I was surprised to see on the RAD website class that the leading arm is not used for en dedans pirouettes ,ok for one turn but for many !!!!!!! 

[akh]

I think that UK trained students have only been in full time training for only 3 weeks ,the timing of the competition does not favour them .

I was surprised to see on the RAD website class that the leading arm is not used for en dedans pirouettes ,ok for one turn but for many !!!!!!! 

I think one at least is 2nd year post 16 vocational

[Kat09]

I think that UK trained students have only been in full time training for only 3 weeks ,the timing of the competition does not favour them .

I was surprised to see on the RAD website class that the leading arm is not used for en dedans pirouettes ,ok for one turn but for many !!!!!!! 

The majority of candidates from UK schools are 2nd/3rd years

[jack.b]

Will be watching on line after paying (Prix de Lausanne is free and a more prestigious competition !!) shame on you RAD you would have much more people watching otherwise.

[Anna C]

I only know of one first year but she has been in full time training prior to starting upper school. The other British girls are second and third years as far as I know.

[jack.b]

What I meant was that the vocational schools in the UK only started in September so it was a vey short time to coach students in their variations ,so Antipodeans or South African  students would have had more time .

But then the Aussies  and Kiwis are always ready it seems

[Kat09]

What I meant was that the vocational schools in the UK only started in September so it was a vey short time to coach students in their variations ,so Antipodeans or South African  students would have had more time .

But then the Aussies  and Kiwis are always ready it seems

You are right jack.b , the timing of the competition didn't allow for much preparation for the UK candidates pre competition.  It was interesting to find that quite a few from the other countries were on their 2nd Genée competition, several finalists from last year and veterans of the ballet competition circuit. It was an eye opener for us in that respect and once again interesting to see how much more advanced in technique youngsters from other countries are when compared to their British counterparts. 

[Pas de Quatre]

But surely as the entries would have gone in long ago, the contestants would have been thoroughly coached for months.  Few dancers at that level take the whole summer off anyway.

[Kat09]

But surely as the entries would have gone in long ago, the contestants would have been thoroughly coached for months.  Few dancers at that level take the whole summer off anyway.

Not necessarily , have sent you a pm

[jack.b]

It is very difficult for UK students at this time, although many attend summer schools, to have intensive coaching prior to the Genée unless they pay a private coach,

Lets see tonight ,I hope the best wins ,some losers have had great careers so if you don't win don't despair .

Still disturbed about the coaching though !!A man coaching the men perhaps as in Prix de Lausanne 

Edited September 19, 2015 by jack.b

[tabitha]

I get the impression that there weren't many UK entries from vocational schools. I think only 4 entered from ENBS. Not sure about Elmhurst. No one entered from RBS as they haven't done RAD for a couple of years now.

[Kat09]

I get the impression that there weren't many UK entries from vocational schools. I think only 4 entered from ENBS. Not sure about Elmhurst. No one entered from RBS as they haven't done RAD for a couple of years now.

There were entrants from Ballet West, Ballet Theatre UK, Elmhurst , ENBS and Royal Conservatoire Scotland

[Harwel]

There were 17 entries from UK schools. Only one made the final. 3 15 year olds were the medal winners, 1 bronze, 1 silver and 1 gold.

[taxi4ballet]

No one entered from RBS as they haven't done RAD for a couple of years now.

I'm not sure, but I don't think they are allowed to enter competitions...

[tabitha]

Well they always used to enter (and win) the genee when it was anywhere near the UK, but as they don't do RAD anymore, they can't meet the entrance criteria.

[Pas de Quatre]

I went to watch the Finals in 2010 at Sadler's Wells (last time they were in London?), so I just checked the programme.  RBS did enter and dominated the final.  Most of those dancers are now in UK companies including RBS & BRB.  As there has been a change of Director of RBS and a change in the RAD Adv 2 syllabus it could be either that has prompted the change.

[capybara]

The results were as follows:

 

Gold and Audience Award: Leroy Mokgatle from South Africa, trained by Christopher Montague, Sayward Harris, Angelique Harris, Heidi Wright & Angela Malan

 

Silver: Lania Atkins from Australia, trained by Mark Reily, Peta Frith, Tamar Arzoumalian & Julie Wells

 

Bronze: Makensie Henson from Australia, trained by Prudence Bowen & Heidi Landford

 

I didn't catch the name of the winner of the Choreographic Prize and had better not hazard a guess.

Edited September 20, 2015 by capybara

[thewinelake]

Jana Baldovino

 

As per http://www.rad.org.uk/news/genee-2015-medallists-announced

 

Lania Atkins is pretty tall, at 5'9 - I suspect that such heights are getting more and more common. DW and DDs described her as "lanky" - I thought rather elegant with it! 

 

Also, I hadn't realised that the number of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals is pretty much anything the judges deem appropriate. Unusual for there to be one of each!

Edited September 20, 2015 by thewinelake

[taxi4ballet]

Well they always used to enter (and win) the genee when it was anywhere near the UK, but as they don't do RAD anymore, they can't meet the entrance criteria.

They weren't allowed to enter the BBC Young Dancer or the Prix either.

[thewinelake]

Prix? Seriously?! Wow...

 

How about Britain's Got Talent?

 

(Or, more likely, America's Got Talent!)

[FLOSS]

If i recall correctly when the current director of the RBS spoke to London Ballet Circle some months ago he expressed concern that there were young dancers  whose training seemed to be directed towards competitions rather than performance. By which I think he meant that they could dance the  few classical solos that loom large in competition but lacked any concept of artistry.That does not mean that I think that this applies to the winner of the Genee gold medal or any of the competitors that I saw.The young South African who won gold stood out because he gave a real performance of the quirky MacMillan solo that he chose.

 

The choice of classical solos available included both nineteenth and twentieth century choreography.Most of the competitors stuck with the nineteenth century. Perhaps wisely none of the boys attempted the Blue Skater solo and the two girls  who attempted  the apparently simple  langrous solo that Ashton created for Fairy Summer found that there was quite a bit more to it than meets the eye.

 

i believe that de Valois was against competitions and I sometimes wonder  what she would have  made of Gailene Stock's attitude towards them. I expect that she would have adopted a pragmatic approach and would have been very pleased that the school had returned to form.This year's RBS school's matinee on the main stage showed a shift in emphasis to theatrical  performance which produced fine performances of which a professional company would have been proud. I think that you can mount strong arguments for and against participating in competitions.Training should be directed towards creating an artist rather than developing performers who see dancing as a way of displaying technical skills.However too insular an attitude  with absolute certainty in the superiority of your own system of training can degenerate into slackness and declining standards.As far as the Genee is concerned I am aware that quite a few of the dancers whose performance I have really admired have been medal winners Brenda Last, Doreen Wells and Leanne Benjamin spring to mind immediately. All in all a fascinating evening.

[Melody]

The school seems to have a schizophrenic attitude toward competitions - it doesn't encourage its pupils to enter, but it always seems to be there to hand out scholarships to winners. If the school and company really value artistry and theatrical performance over technical dazzle in these set pieces, I'm not sure why it's out there recruiting the cream of the latter when there are so few places overall.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Melody

[sarahw]

Absolutely Melody - it appears to be 1 rule for their pupils and 1 rule for those they recruit from overseas - especially annoying for the former who lose places to the latter in the US from what I understand.

[taxi4ballet]

I think there's only one reason why they don't want their students to enter competitions... 

[Lucinda]

I think there's only one reason why they don't want their students to enter competitions...

 

and that preparation for a competition requires intense repeated rehearsal of a variation/ particular choreography requiring a significant number of hours. This is in direct contrast to the specific balanced all round training in a vocational school programme.

In addition if a student adds the competition preparation on top of their school programme they greatly increase their risk of injury and burn out.

Lastly if a school director has chosen a student for his/her school, why would they wish that student to enter a competition where they might be offered a place elsewhere. Usually a school wants to keep their students, particularly the best ones!

Edited September 20, 2015 by Lucinda

[taxi4ballet]

Well. yes, the schools want to hang onto their best students, but ultimately the aim of the schools is to prepare the students for employment in the industry. The competitions are also a shop window, where the dancers (particularly those who are soon to graduate) can raise their profile, and hopefully improve their prospects.

 

Considering that so few British graduates are offered contracts in the UK companies, perhaps they could do with more access to this level of exposure rather than less?

[capybara]

Considering that so few British graduates are offered contracts in the UK companies, perhaps they could do with more access to this level of exposure rather than less?

 

Of course, the judges this year included David Bintley and David Nixon who will surely be talent spotting as they officiate. It has been said that, in the past, contracts were offered on the basis of dancers being first seen by directors during the Young British Dancer of the Year Competition.

[FLOSS]

Well we shall just have to see what happens under the new regime at the school now that the director has his feet well and truly under the table.Of course I can't imagine the school pulling out of offering places to prize winners either.

 

Then there is the whole question of the Covent Garden company's recruitment policies or perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is really a question of what the company does with the dancers it recruits particularly those that come from the school. At least there is some evidence with the casting of the current run of Romeo and Juliet that this director really is interested in developing his company rather than buying in talent.However it could be a blip with normal service resumed very quickly

 Remember that the company has always recruited internationally. The difference is that it was less obvious in the past when the dancers concerned had British surnames and a significant number of them had been at the school before entering the company.

 

You could ask some very interesting questions about why it is that a country like Australia produces so many fine dancers  given the size of the population. It's not genetic difference because even now a significant part of the population shares our gene pool..

Is it simply that there are more good teachers there or is it a subtle mixture of other factors such as  greater social acceptance of competitiveness;assessing and grading the acquisition and application of skills; of being seen to try hard rather than living with and accepting the myth of  effortless superiority;national obsession with participating in active pastimes such as sport or a greater acceptance of dance as a career? Perhaps the problem for both ballet and tennis in this country is that they are far more the preserve of the middle class here than they are elsewhere .Perhaps in  Australia  ballet classes are both socially and financially more accessible than they are here.Perhaps here ballet classes are more of a hobby that participants abandon when they get into their teens than they are elsewhere. Ido not pretend to know the answers and nothing that I have written should be taken as a criticism of those attending ballet classes or vocational schools.

 

 I know that from time to time there has been criticism of training methods here which are said to leave students here lagging behind their contemporaries abroad.But should teachers be more concerned with quantity than quality or begin pointwork when a child's feet may be damaged because that is done elsewhere? Perhaps the problem has less to do with technical training than it has to do with the psychological approach of the teachers. Belinda Hatley has spoken about British dancers being made to feel rubbish and Claire Calvert has described the pressure of the assessment process.Now only poor teachers feel the need to establish their superiority over their pupils by belittling them.There are ways of telling students that they need to  improve and how to do so,that do not involve making students feel bad about themselves . As far as  assessments are concerned surely they are part and parcel of everyday life in all major  ballet schools. Are pupils in all schools adversely effected  by the process or do some schools manage to make it less traumatic? Again I have  seen it suggested  by someone with considerable experience of  ballet training that schools are  too ready to assess out pupils who are experiencing difficulties because they don't have a perfect ballet body.Her concern was that it was easy to train the perfect ballet body but that real teaching skill lay in training the less than perfect body. She expressed the view that such students are often the ones who,because they have to work that much harder,make the most interesting artists.She concluded that the obsession with the ideal body was having an adverse impact on ballet.

 

 

[aileen]

I have read that competitions are a way of life in Australian ballet training, probably because competition success is a route into upper schools abroad, particularly the UK. If you read the biographies of the overseas trained dancers in the UK companies you will see that most of them have won or been placed in international competitions. Competition wins do get you noticed by ADs and this is even more helpful if you are not training at one of the big schools. I can think of a couple of dancers who were privately trained and who got contracts with UK companies on the back of of success at high profile competitions.

[Kat09]

I have read that competitions are a way of life in Australian ballet training, probably because competition success is a route into upper schools abroad, particularly the UK. If you read the biographies of the overseas trained dancers in the UK companies you will see that most of them have won or been placed in international competitions. Competition wins do get you noticed by ADs and this is even more helpful if you are not training at one of the big schools. I can think of a couple of dancers who were privately trained and who got contracts with UK companies on the back of of success at high profile competitions.

Competition is definitely a way of life for Australian Dancing Children and from an early age …. inter and out of state and international ……Personally I don't think it makes for a better dancer ,but the variations are performed with polish and great confidence. All the performance experience certainly shows and, I think ,is the difference that makes a difference when performing in front of an audience and judges.

[Sadielou]

The school seems to have a schizophrenic attitude toward competitions - it doesn't encourage its pupils to enter, but it always seems to be there to hand out scholarships to winners. If the school and company really value artistry and theatrical performance over technical dazzle in these set pieces, I'm not sure why it's out there recruiting the cream of the latter when there are so few places overall.

Totally agree with you Melody. Not only has the RBS US taken the cream of the competition crop again this year (which has become par for the course.) There are now two YAGP medal winners at WL. Is this so the Director can now massage the WL success figures? after all they have been doing it for years at the US.

Makes me sad that the British trained dancers (who stand little or no chance of RB Company places) do not get the opportunity to network other schools and Companies, like our foreign counterparts. The Australian schools / teachers seem happy enough to help their charges on their career path why can't the British kids have the same opportunities. In my humble opinion, this stock explanation of not having enough time in the vocational training programme is just a weak excuse.

I feel that the powers that be are too scared that their training / teaching maybe exposed on the world stage and not looked on as favourably on as they may wish.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Sadielou