• Gold medallist Vida Polakov with judges (from left) Christopher Hampson, Petter Jacobsson, Dame Monica Mason and Garry Harris. Photo: Marc Heageman
    Gold medallist Vida Polakov with judges (from left) Christopher Hampson, Petter Jacobsson, Dame Monica Mason and Garry Harris. Photo: Marc Heageman
  • Jessica Allison-Walker, winner of the 'Dancer's Own' choreography award.
    Jessica Allison-Walker, winner of the 'Dancer's Own' choreography award.
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The two girls’ top medals at the 2014 Genée International Ballet Competition have been awarded to students of Australian schools.

The gold medal went to Vida Polakov, 16, an American/New Zealander who is presently a student at the Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy in NSW.

In addition, the silver medal was shared by Australian Mikaela Johnson, 15, from the Conlan College of Classical Ballet, and British student Lucinda Strachan, 17, from English National Ballet School.

The finals were held after two days of exacting semi-finals in front  of the Queen of Belgium at the Opera Vlaanderen in Belgium. The adjudicators were Dame Monica Mason DBE, former Director of the Royal Ballet, Petter Jacobsson, Directeur Général, Centre Chorégraphique National Ballet de Lorraine, and Christopher Hampson, Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet.

They also awarded two female bronze medals to Rachel Hickey, 17 (UK) a pupil at the  Elmhurst School for Dance, and Isabella Swietlicki, 17, from the English National Ballet School.

One male bronze medal was awarded to Weslley Vitalino Carvalho Da Silva, 19, from Academia de Ballet Elisa.

The Audience Choice Award went to Honoka Ishihara, 16, Japanese, a pupil at the International Ballet Academy, who charmed the audience. The Choreographic Award, sponsored by Mondor, for the choreographer who demonstrated the highest standard of choreography within the Dancer’s Own variation to the judges, was awarded to Australian Jessica Allison-Walker, a pupil at Prudence Bowen Atelier in Queensland.

Each medallist was chosen from  57 contestants from 11 countries. Altogether 15 Australians made it into the finals (see our article here for the full list).

This year’s competition marks the first time ever the Genée has been held in Belgium during the competition’s 83-year history. During the Final, the audience was also treated to a performance from Aiko Saito and Wim Verlessen, principal dancers of the Royal Ballet of Flanders, who performed a pas-de-deux from Love Fear Loss choreographed by Genée Commissioned Choreographer Ricardo Amarante, whom was a candidate himself 17 years ago.

The 2015 Genée will return to London for the first time since 2010.

 Jessica Allison-Walker, winner of the 'Dancer's Own' choreography award.

 Jessica Allison-Walker, winner of the 'Dancer's Own' choreography award.

Genee finalists on stage.

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