The Ballet Teachers’ Workshop is going from strength to strength, if Sunday night’s event is a guide.
The annual competition has six sections covering ages from eight upwards and a total of almost $15,000 in prize money to win. It also has the distinction of a male-only senior section, named in honour of the late Paul Hammond.
Of the main senior prizes, nearly 50 entered the $2500 Mabel Pryde Memorial Award. It was no surprise when Kiely Groenewegen, a pupil at the Australian Conservatoire of Ballet in Melbourne, was handed the first prize. Kiely is still basking in the glow of having come runner-up in the Sydney Eisteddfod McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship earlier in the year (see article this issue). Kiely also received the Frances Naylor Award for best overall performer, bringing her total prize money to $5000. The young dancer is travelling to London soon to take up a three-year scholarship to the Royal Ballet School, so the extra cash will be put to good use.
Second place ($550.00) went to Zoe Nielson (a pupil of Prudence Bowen Atelier, Qld) and third place ($300) went to Nana Yamamoto (from the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne).
In the Paul Hammond Foundation Award it was a rare treat to see males competing against males, and in a range of male ballet variations. This year 17 entered with nine making it into the finals. The winner of the $2500 prize was Tyson Powell, a pupil at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. He and his classmates at the school dominated the section, with Nathan Lightbody coming second and Isaac Di Natale third.
The adjudicators were Lana Jones and Ben Davis (principal and soloist, respectively, of the Australian Ballet).
The remaining list of awards are below.
SECTION A: ages 8-9
FIRST: Emily Zumstein $500.00
teacher: Carmel Amelia School of
Dance SECOND: Milei Lee
$300.00 teacher: Brian Nolan Academy of Dance
THIRD:Bianca Weller $200.00
teacher: Glen Iris School of
Dance
FOURTH: Laura Griffiths $100.00 teacher:
Carmel Amelia School of Dance
SECTION B: ages 10-11
FIRST: Mio Bayly
$600.00 teacher: Anita Coutts School of Dance
SECOND:Tara Newberry $300.00
teacher: Carmel Amelia School of Dance
THIRD: Amelia Menzies $200.00 teacher: Clifton Dance Studio
FOURTH: Philippa Crawley $100.00
teacher: Ballarat Ballet Centre
SECTION C: ages 12-13
FIRST: Victoria Norris $700.00
teacher: Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet
SECOND:Isabelle Greenwood $400.00
teacher: V.C.A.S.S
THIRD: Emily Bray $250.00 teacher: Jane Moore Academy of
Ballet
FOURTH: Heidi Freeman $150.00 teacher: KF Ballet
SECTION D: ages 14-15
FIRST:
Emma Koppelman $1,000.00
teacher: Christa Cameron School of Ballet
SECOND: Jordan Jacobs $400.00 teacher: V.C.A.S.S
THIRD: Sophia Walker $250.00
teacher: Australian Conservatoire of Ballet
FOURTH:
Konrad Ryu Homberger $150.00 teacher:
V.C.A.S.S