The nominees for the 2014 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award were announced last week in Melbourne at the Australian Ballet’s free annual outdoor event, "Telstra Ballet at the Bowl". The nominees are Dimity Azoury (Queanbeyan, ACT), Imogen Chapman (Kelmscott, WA), Ingrid Gow (Randwick, NSW), Cristiano Martino (Adelaide, SA), Rina Nemoto (Tokyo, Japan) and Jade Wood (Cairns, QLD).
The Telstra Ballet Dancer Award recognises the achievements of young members of the Australian Ballet, with the winner taking home $20 000. The award aims to support and encourage the next generation of talent within the Australian Ballet. Six of the company’s current principal artists are former winners of the award.
The winner will be decided by a panel of judges comprised of representatives from the Australian Ballet, Telstra and the media. There is also a People’s Choice award which is worth $5000 and decided by public vote. The winner will be announced at the end of the year in Sydney.
Ballet fans may follow the nominees on Instragram, through the hashtag #TBDA14.
From left Imogen Chapman, Jade Wood, Cristiano Martino, Ingrid Gow, Rina Nemoto, Dimity Azoury. Photo: Paul Jeffers.
