Young Harrison Lee has done it again. The 14-year-old McDonald College student has taken the top honours at the Royal Academy of Dance's Isobel Anderson Awards.
The Award was held at a packed Parade Theatre in Randwick, Sydney, on March 23. Forty finalists competed in seven sections, in front of a judging panel that included David McAllister AM (artistic director of the Australian Ballet), Audrey Nicholls (OAM FRAD) and Mark Brinkley (OAM). Further awards were given by Joan Halliday OAM FRAD and Martin Rubinstein OAM FRAD.
The Isobel Anderson Awards are the annual prestige event on the NSW RAD's calendar, and this year's was made extra special by celebrating the 100th birthday of its namesake and patron, Isobel Anderson. This revered teacher and mentor has been an examiner since the 1940s, after having herself sat her RAD student exam during the Academy's first Australian examination tour in 1935. An RAD Life member, Isobel was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Dance in 1986, and the Isobel Anderson Awards began in her honour in 1987.
For this birthday occasion 70 young students performed a ballet, Rose Celebration.
The Martin Rubinstein Award went to Tom Malberg (a pupil of Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy) and the Joan and Monica Halliday Award was won by Jordan Micallef (McDonald College) with the runner-up being Tom Soepono (The Dance Spot).
Harrison has also won the top junior award at the Youth America Grand Prix. See the story on our website: here
Our photo shows RAD pupils performing "Rose Celebration" in honour of the esteemed Isobel Anderson FRAD.
Photo: Robert Hamlin - WinkiPoP Media
See our report in the June/July issue of Dance Australia.