Canadian dancer Erin Alarie has taken the top honour at the 2026 Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, winning both the Genée Gold medal and the Dancer’s Own Choreographic Award.
The 17-year-old, who trains with Amanda Paterson at the Oakville School of Classical Ballet, received gold at the London Coliseum on 8 November. The final brought together 12 dancers following a week of coaching and semi-finals involving 71 candidates from 19 countries.
Silver went to Tsz Ho Ting, 18, from China, who trains at Berlin State Ballet School. Two bronze medals were awarded: to Chi Kok Ip, 18, from China, a student at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, and Britain’s Siena Murphy, 17, who trains at English National Ballet School.
New Zealand’s Chelsea Humm, 19, won the Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award. The Musicality Award went to Spain’s Gonzalo Toledo, also 19, while Alarie’s choreographic award had been announced at the semi-finals.
Australia was represented by seven dancers: Grace Cruwys, Siena Leishman, Lydia Sutton, Olivia Van der Linden, Kiara Waring, Sarah Wheatley and Eboni Wilson. Wheatley, 18, was the sole Australian finalist. She trains at Elmhurst Ballet School with Denise Whitman and the school’s wider artistic staff.
This year’s competition introduced an interesting new aspect for candidates: A collaboration with The Frederick Ashton Foundation saw finalists prepare an Ashton variation alongside their classical repertoire and Dancer’s Own solos, with coaching from Ricardo Cervera and Helen Crawford.
That gave the final a connection to the repertoire performed by its guest artists: Royal Ballet soloist Marianna Tsembenhoi danced the Shadow Variation from Ondine, while principals Fumi Kaneko and Vadim Muntagirov performed a pas de deux from Sylvia. The judging panel comprised Dame Darcey Bussell, Francesca Hayward, Kevin O’Hare, Mthuthuzeli November and Lynn Wallis.
With the London competition complete, the RAD has confirmed that The Fonteyn will move to Singapore from 6 to 12 December 2027, with the final at Victoria Theatre on Sunday 12 December. It will be the competition’s first visit to Singapore since 2009, bringing the next edition considerably closer to Australian dancers and audiences.