Following a week of intense competition, all 71 competitors in this year's Royal Academy of Dance Genee International Ballet Competition lined up on the stage of St James Theatre in Wellington, NZ, at 5pm today to learn which of them had made it into the finals.
Though the dancers all looked composed and immaculate in their tutus, tights and leotards, the tension and expectation in the theatre was palpable. The three adjudicators - all, unusually, men - were David McAllister (artistic director of the Australian Ballet), Li Cunxin (artistic director of the Queensland Ballet) and Christopher Hampton, artistic director of the Scottish Ballet. They congratulated all the contestants. "In many ways you are already all winners," McAllister told them, '"just to get to the semifinals is a huge achievement." Nonetheless, only 12 could make it into the finals. They were:
Kaena Ahern (17), from the Mt Eden Ballet Academy, NZ
Isobelle Dashwood (15), from the Classical Coaching Australia and Dance Central, Aus
Georgina Hills (17), from the Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy, Aus
Ariana Hond (16), from the Mt Eden Ballet Academy, NZ
Olivia James-Baird (17), from the Mt Eden Academy, NZ
Emma McBeth (18), from the Alegria School of Ballet, Aus
Montana Rubin (15), from the Dance Spot, Aus
Sana Sasaki (16), from the McDonald College, Aus
Anya Siddall (16), from the Tanya Pearson Coaching Academy
Kelsey Stokes (16), from Prudence Bowen Atelier, Aus
Aurelian Child-de Brocas (15), from Alegria School of Ballet, Aus
Harry Davis (17), from the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
Before announcing the finalists, McAllister passed on a few technical tips to consider. The first was to do with the placement of arabesques. He reminded the students that the leg should be behind the body and not out to the side. He also mentioned the importance of "in between" steps, and that the feet should be articulated all the time. "Sometimes the beauty is in how you get on or off pointe", he said. And lastly, he felt that in classical variations the students did not show as much expressiveness through their upper bodies as they had in their Dancer's Own variations.
The Dancer's Own variations are a new addition to the Genee. Candidates are asked to perform a solo which has either been choreographed by themselves, their teacher or a peer to a piece of music of their own choice. This innovation has been such a success that Lynn Wallis, the artistic director of the Royal Academy of Dance, announced that next year she will introduce a new prize: a choreographic award for the Dancer's Own variation.
The finalists now have another day of classes and coaching before competing on stage in the finals on Saturday night. Stay tuned to this website!
- KAREN VAN ULZEN