Prix de Lausanne 2023

[Pas de Quatre]

Prix de Lausanne 2023 selected candidates

 

The list of successful candidates has been published.  Sadly although there were 6 applications, no candidates have been selected from from UK.  

Edited October 27, 2022 by Pas de Quatre
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[Laura_ballet]

What a shame no one is representing the UK. I know we are a small island however I thought we might at least have 1 candidate! Is this a reflection of the training in the UK? I’ve been watching some YAGP videos of 9-11 year olds around the world doing multiple pirouettes, mature artistry, impeccable extensions….I’m assuming they are training like gymnasts (20 hrs or more a week). 

[akh]

2 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

Prix de Lausanne 2023 selected candidates

 

The list of successful candidates has been published.  Sadly although there were 6 applications, no candidates have been selected from from UK.  

Impressive number of candidates selected from Ballettschule Theater Basel

[Sophoife]

Four from tiny Conservatorio Annarella Sanchez : two Portuguese and two Japanese.

 

[Neverdancedjustamum]

3 hours ago, Thelittleswans said:

What a shame no one is representing the UK. I know we are a small island however I thought we might at least have 1 candidate! Is this a reflection of the training in the UK? I’ve been watching some YAGP videos of 9-11 year olds around the world doing multiple pirouettes, mature artistry, impeccable extensions….I’m assuming they are training like gymnasts (20 hrs or more a week). 

I find over the last few years there’s been very few from the U.K. There are the (very) few who are British nationals but training overseas or internationals training in the U.K. (even less). I believe last year there were two British candidates, both privately trained for at least the last few years, neither were full time vocational students here at the time they qualified for the PdL. One is now a student at a very prestigious ballet school in Europe (not known for having British students) and one is now with a company. 

[FlexyNexy]

7 hours ago, Sophoife said:

Four from tiny Conservatorio Annarella Sanchez : two Portuguese and two Japanese.

 

Yes, one of the judges comes to the school and has a private audition to select them. There is much more to it, but they are all lovely and top trained dancers.

[Sophoife]

16 minutes ago, FlexyNexy said:

Yes, one of the judges comes to the school and has a private audition to select them. There is much more to it, but they are all lovely and top trained dancers.

 

Maina Gielgud is a champion of the school, and of António Casalinho (Lausanne laureate) and Margarita Fernandes (daughter, I believe, of Annarella Sanchez) in particular; this championship appears to be soundly based as both teenagers are soloists at Bayerisches Staatsballett. Fernandes (17!) has already danced Swanhilda to Yonah Acosta's Franz in Petit's Coppélia. Back to the days of the Baby Ballerinas!

[FlexyNexy]

5 minutes ago, Sophoife said:

 

Maina Gielgud is a champion of the school, and of António Casalinho (Lausanne laureate) and Margarita Fernandes (daughter, I believe, of Annarella Sanchez) in particular; this championship appears to be soundly based as both teenagers are soloists at Bayerisches Staatsballett. Fernandes (17!) has already danced Swanhilda to Yonah Acosta's Franz in Petit's Coppélia. Back to the days of the Baby Ballerinas!

Antonio is talent on it's own. When it comes to the others, shame people do not know the inside stories to base their knowledge and how they got there. I will leave it here so the feed does not get locked. Spent time at that establishment to know little too much I guess. Yonah is Cuban dancer same as the Director of the school, so if they danced together it is not based on the talent (yes they have talent), but little bit more. 
My DD was coached by Maina, yeah...my bank balance is still recovering. 

[Birdy]

Plenty of top schools don’t have their students send audition videos to Prix, so I wouldn’t use it to judge the quality of training or dancers in any particular country. 

[Jan McNulty]

The jury and 50th Anniversary Gala has been announced:

 

 

[FionaM]

12 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

The jury and 50th Anniversary Gala has been announced:

 

 

 

I did think the announcement of this gala which is a first for the PdL did deserve its own thread.  As other galas do.  

[Jan McNulty]

3 minutes ago, FionaE said:

 

I did think the announcement of this gala which is a first for the PdL did deserve its own thread.  As other galas do.  

 

Which is why I didn't merge the threads.

[FionaM]

@Jan McNultyCould you unlock the other thread please ?

Edited December 13, 2022 by FionaE

[Jan McNulty]

12 minutes ago, FionaE said:

@Jan McNultyCould you unlock the other thread please ?

 

Why?  Traditionally the Prix has been discussed in Doing Dance and PdQ had started this thread 2 months ago.

[FionaM]

Firstly , the gala is new and it is of professional dancers only.  It is separate to the competition.  
 

It includes many principals from elite companies including from the UK.  I should think balletcoforum members who aren’t following the ‘Doing Dance’ thread would be interested to discuss the dancers and programme.  Too many to list again here .. please read the original post. 
 

Secondly, the jury are also of interest to non-dancing forum members as it included the director of the RB School Christopher Powney, RB choreographer Christopher Wheeldon plus former RB principal Tetsuya Kumakawa.  And many other luminaries of professional ballet.  

Edited December 13, 2022 by FionaE

[Jan McNulty]

It makes more sense to keep to one thread.

 

A Performances Seen thread about the actual performance would be more than welcome.

 

I have linked the thread here and also linked this thread to the one you started in news.  People only have to click on the link.

[Peanut68]

On 27/10/2022 at 09:29, akh said:

Impressive number of candidates selected from Ballettschule Theater Basel

Ironic considering the school I believe is under a cloud of malpractice allegations & possibly closed/closing….

[Angela]

8 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

possibly closed/closing….

 

The professional department will be closing at the end of this school year for financial reasons, the have communicated this fact in the press. Now they fight to keep a ballet school for children and non-professional dancers.

 

https://www.bazonline.ch/ich-bin-jetzt-jemand-der-traeume-platzen-lassen-muss-555855789454 (article in German language)

[LinMM]

Interesting that there is nobody from the Princess Grace Academie in France this year. 
Although in the ten years I’ve been following the Prix I’ve found nearly all the students who take part in this competition are usually of a very high standard for their age category etc…..when you actually see the huge number who originally applied I do wonder whether other things other than pure dance talent are in the selection equation these days…..like money?

Do some of these contestants get grants/bursaries/ scholarships to take part ….if deemed talented enough? 

Or do some highly talented dancers miss out because of the cost of attending a competition like this in 2023. 

[Angela]

26 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Or do some highly talented dancers miss out

 

Some have already jobs in the companies associated with their schools, or scholarships, and sometimes their teachers recommend not to take part, because it takes a lot of time away from other things they might have to learn. Though I'm certain most students basically do want to go to competitions, I'm also certain we never see all of the best students of each year. 

 

[LinMM]

Interesting. I’m not sure why if you were already placed with a Company that you’d want to take part 🤔

I always thought it was for hoping to gain access to a more prestigious school for final years of training or for the possibility of being seen in order to gain access to a Company. 
Perhaps if you were to win it you would have added status but if already dancing in a Company doubt they would just promote you up

the ranks just for winning a prize in it …even the top one…unless the Company were considering promoting you anyway!! 

 

[DD Driver]

Prix de Lausanne is an amateur comp - you can't be under a professional contract as a dancer (or have a firm job offer)

[Peanut68]

I’d be really interested to know the sort of costs incurred for a self funding student to attend something  like the PDL…

[FionaM]

1 hour ago, Peanut68 said:

I’d be really interested to know the sort of costs incurred for a self funding student to attend something  like the PDL…

The cost of travel alone is prohibitive.   I remember (many moons ago) helping with fundraising for 3 candidates and chaperones to travel from Cape Town.  

[FionaM]

Many highly talented dancers do not participate … 

 

- travel costs

 

- they are at elite schools already (it’s rare to see students from RB, Paris, Dutch, La Scala schools participating) 

 

- they get selected out in pre-selection. It’s subjective choice and inevitable.  
 

I’d like to believe there is no money changing hands to influence selection processes. 

[LinMM]

When I mentioned money above I just meant affordability for those taking part…so some dancers not able to because of the expense. 
In other circumstances often where parents are wholly or partly contributing to a young dancers support ( eg : they do not have a scholarship) the parents income is looked  into to see the feasibility of them providing longer term support. 
In this respect of course obviously wealthier parents would have an advantage. 
 

[Angela]

I think most academies have a little extra money (or donors) to pay for travel costs, if their students want to take part and the teachers are okay with it. If they win it's also a price for the academy. 

[Pas de Quatre]

Actually, if selected I think it is a very cost effective way for dancers to be seen. For those who do not make the final, there is a special class at the end of the week where they are observed by many ADs and there are offers made afterwards, summer schools, further training and even jobs. One week in Lausanne is better than travelling around Europe to various auditions.

[taxi4ballet]

I wonder whether the RBS upper school auditions with clash with the Prix again this year...

[Kerfuffle]

20 minutes ago, taxi4ballet said:

I wonder whether the RBS upper school auditions with clash with the Prix again this year...

Perhaps - but I guess that getting into the Prix is pretty difficult in the first place and a lot of the competitors will already have been in YAGP which means that they have been seen before or had classes with the ADs of a lot of the top schools. As Pas De Quartre says it can be an efficient way of getting school places and job offers. Doing competitions takes a lot of energy and courage from those taking this approach and they should be respected for it as much as anyone else auditioning etc.

[DD Driver]

Based on their website, the RBS upper school Final Auditions are in Feb and March 2023.

Christopher Powney is on the Prix de Lausanne jury.

Prix finishes on Feb 4

 

[taxi4ballet]

19 hours ago, Kerfuffle said:

Perhaps - but I guess that getting into the Prix is pretty difficult in the first place and a lot of the competitors will already have been in YAGP which means that they have been seen before or had classes with the ADs of a lot of the top schools. As Pas De Quartre says it can be an efficient way of getting school places and job offers. Doing competitions takes a lot of energy and courage from those taking this approach and they should be respected for it as much as anyone else auditioning etc.

That's not quite what I meant. 

 

What I was trying to say was that on more than one occasion, the RBS AD has been absent from the audtions for his own vocational school because he was attending the Prix instead, and that it is rather odd that the school doesn't rearrange the audition dates so he can actually be there instead of them clashing every year. 

[Kanangra]

On 15/12/2022 at 22:23, Pas de Quatre said:

Actually, if selected I think it is a very cost effective way for dancers to be seen. For those who do not make the final, there is a special class at the end of the week where they are observed by many ADs and there are offers made afterwards, summer schools, further training and even jobs. One week in Lausanne is better than travelling around Europe to various auditions.

This is exactly right! I know a dancer who has been in PDL twice from Australia. The first time was as a young student looking for a place in a prestigious school and the second time she was looking for a place in a company. Travelling all the way from Australia makes this very cost effective though far from inexpensive. Her family had to pay her costs, though I think she had a gofundme.