Ballet Competitions 101

Posted on Mar 1, 2010 by Julie Diana

Sarah Lane and Joseph Phillips performing at the YAGP 2008 Gala. Photo by Gene Schiavone
Picture this: Its 1990, and Jose Manuel Carreo, a young, relatively unknown Cuban ballet
student, has just wowed the judges at the USA International Ballet Competition with his ultrapowerful jumps and incredibly controlled pirouettes. At the end of the competition, hes
presented with the Grand Prix City of Jackson Award of Excellencea prize even higher than
the competitions senior division gold medals. Suddenly, Carreo is on the professional ballet
worlds radar, and hes quickly snatched up by the English National Ballet. Fast-forward to
today: Carreo is living every ballet dancers dream as an internationally renowned principal
dancer with American Ballet Theatre.
At their best, ballet competitions do just what they did for Carreo, catapulting young unknowns
into the limelight. At their worst, theyre still a great learning experience. While most dancers
wont win medals, nearly all competitors will benefit from the preparation, performance
opportunities and feedback from judges.
The four major ballet competitions each have different vibes and offer different opportunities. To
help you figure out which one is right for you, DS put together a guide highlighting key aspects
of each.
The Basics
Most ballet competitions accept dancers ages 1519 and expect you to bring prepared variations,
both classical and contemporary. Some provide scholarships, while others award medals and
professional contracts.
Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP)
YAGP is a competition for everybody. Its goal is to find new talent, and any dancer age

Eseban Hernandez at the 2009 YAGP. Photo by Nina Alovert

919 can compete. One of the things that sets us apart from other competitions is our wide age
range, says Sergey Gordeev, director of PR and external affairs. We include very young
dancers, and rather than just evaluating them wherever they are in their development, we try to
identify their potential and help them fulfill it by channeling them to world-class dance schools
and giving them scholarships to study there.
Founded in 1999 by the former Bolshoi Ballet dancers Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, YAGP
holds semifinal competitions around the world and a final round in NYC every year. Students
compete for medals; for the opportunity to receive contracts from professional companies; for
the chance to perform at various international galas and dance festivals; and for scholarships to
leading dance academies, like the Royal Ballet School, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
at American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Danish Ballet School. Though medalists at the NYC
finals receive cash prizes, the scholarships have little to do with first, second or third place.
Instead, representatives from big schools observe competitors and judge their potential based on
their performance onstage and in class, Gordeev says.
Next competition date: March 2125, 2010 (NYC finals)
Famous alumni: Sara Mearns (2001), principal, New York City Ballet; Sarah Lane (2002),
soloist, American Ballet Theatre; Kiril Kulish and David Alvarez (2006), Tony Award recipients
for their performances in the title role of Billy Elliot on Broadway
For more information: yagp.org

Sarah Lamb at the 2000 NYIBC by Marbeth

New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC)
The NYIBC, founded in 1983 by Ilona Copen, is a competition for high-level preprofessional
dancers. Held every two years at Lincoln Center in NYC, its limited to 48 participants who

compete as couples. Dancers ages 1724 from any country may apply, either as a soloist or with
a partner who is also applying to compete, and a selection committee chooses the final group of
competitors.
To ensure that no participant has an unfair economic advantage, the NYIBC covers the cost of
competitors room and board, transportation within the city and entertainment and cultural
activities. And unlike other competitions, the NYIBC does not announce the repertoire
competitors will perform until all participants arrive in NYC. Dancers then learn, rehearse and
perform these selections over the course of three weeks, studying with the same teachers and
working under the same conditions. The main goal is not the competitive part; its the training,
says NYIBC artistic director Eleanor DAntuono. We bring in coaches of the highest quality,
like former ABT ballerina Cynthia Gregory and Indianapolis City Ballet artistic director John
Meehan.
After the final round, medals are presented, and some medalists may receive contracts with
professional companies, such as The Joffrey Ballet.
Next competition date: June 2011
Famous alumni: Gillian Murphy (1996), principal, ABT; Sarah Lamb (2000), principal, The
Royal Ballet; Kathleen Breen Combes (2003), principal, Boston Ballet
For more information: nyibc.org

Julie Kent at the 1986 Prix by Francette Levieux

Prix de Lausanne (Prix)
The Prix de Lausanne is a selective competition for dancers ages 1518 who are readyor
nearly readyto enter the professional ballet world, but have not yet danced professionally. The
annual event, based in Switzerland since its inception in 1973, offers a variety of scholarships to
prestigious international dance schools and companies. The artistic committee reviews video
submissions and then selects a maximum of 75 dancers from around the world to participate in
the competition.
At the Prix, students have the chance to rehearse both classical and contemporary variations
under the supervision of prominent coaches including Patrick Armand, ballet master at La Scala

Ballet in Milan, and former Royal Ballet principal Viviana Durante. Competitors who do not
make it to the finals are still permitted to take an audition class viewed by school and company
directors.
The Prix requires that dancers pass a strict health examination before they are allowed to
compete, and also monitors its scholarship winners over the course of the year, making sure that
they receive a good academic education in addition to their ballet studies. Deborah Bull, a
member of the artistic committee, says, The health and well being of the dancer, both during the
competition and in the long term, is central to the Prixs philosophy. We firmly believe in taking
a holistic approach to the dancer first and foremost as a person.
Next competition date: January 2011
Famous alumni: Alessandra Ferri (1980), former principal, ABT; Julie Kent (1986), principal,
ABT; Carlos Acosta (1990), principal guest artist, The Royal Ballet; Christopher Wheeldon
(1991), artistic director, Morphoses; Gillian Murphy (1995), principal, ABT; Misa Kuranaga
(2001), principal, Boston Ballet
For more information: prixdelausanne.org

Misa Kuranaga at the 2006 USA IBC

Photo by Richard Finkelstein/ Courtesy USA IBC
International Ballet Competitions (IBCs)
International Ballet Competitions are held in several cities around the world. Theyre intended
for serious preprofessional and professional ballet dancers ages 15-26, who vie Olympic-style for
gold, silver and bronze medals.
The IBCs have a complicated history. The first IBC was held in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1964, and
that competition then rotated annually between Varna; Moscow, Russia; Tokyo, Japan; and
Jackson, MS. While the IBCs no longer follow this schedule, Moscow and Jackson still hold
competitions every four years and Varna holds one every two years; the Jackson competition was
made home of the USA IBC in 1979. Other IBCs have since been established in Helsinki,
Finland and Budapest, Hungary.

Participants must submit video applications to be invited to compete in either the junior (age 15
18) or senior (age 1926) division. Students and young professionals in the junior division
compete to test themselves against our high standards, says Sue Lobrano, executive director of
the USA IBC. They learn so much about professional ballet life from the strenuous pace of the
classes, rehearsals and competition. Senior division dancers, on the other hand, have generally
already started their careers, but will receive additional exposure and publicity through the
competition.
In addition to medals, dancers can win cash prizes, contracts and scholarships. Even after theyve
been eliminated, dancers are permitted to request a critique of their performances and to attend
classes and competition performances for free. This year, new awards will be handed out at the
USA IBC, including six one-year contracts with companies including Miami City Ballet and the
Washington Ballet.
Next competition date: June 12-27, 2010 (USA IBC in Jackson)
Famous alumni of USA IBC: Nina Ananiashvili (1986), artistic director, State Ballet of
Georgia; Jose Manuel Carreo (1990), principal, ABT; Rasta Thomas (1998), freelance
performer and artistic director, Bad Boys of Dance; Misa Kuranaga (2006), principal, Boston
Ballet
For more information: usaibc.com (USA IBC); varna-ibc.org (Varna IBC);
russianballet.ru/competition (Moscow IBC); balcomphel.fi (Helsinki IBC); nureyevibc.com
(Nureyev IBC in Budapest)
Reasons to Compete
Preparation: A competition requires lengthy preparation, focusing on artistic and technical
details. This intensive training helps build discipline and pushes you to be your best. The
process is the prize, says Bo Spassoff, co-director of The Rock School.
Education: Where else can you meet, watch and interact with dancers from all over the world?
Use it as a learning experience, says Carlos Molina, a Boston Ballet principal who won the
Igor Youskevitch Award at the NYIBC in 1996. Take the opportunity to learn from other
dancers. And if you make a friend or two, thats even better, especially since many of the
dancers you meet will end up being your co-workers in the future!
Performance: Ballet competitions offer amazing performance opportunities, particularly for
dancers from smaller studios. Its not often that 16-year-olds get to tackle Odiles furious turns or
Kitris tricky hops on pointe onstageexcept in competition! Performing challenging ballerina
roles will strengthen your technique and your artistry, and give you the chance to command a
professional stage.
Exposure: Competitions guarantee visibility, even if you dont take the top prize. You dont
have to win a medal to earn a place in a company, says Sue Lobrano, executive director of the
USA IBC. Many directors are looking for a particular type of dancer and hire non-medalists all
the time.

Common Competition Mistakes

All flash and no finesse: Sometimes in competitions, people ignore the beauty of the art form
and go for dazzlehigh extensions and multiple pirouetteshoping to impress the judges, says
Bo Spasoff, co-director of The Rock School. While theres an athletic component to dance,
theres also an artistic component. Dont lose sight of the artistry of the work when youre
performing at a competition. Allow your individuality and love of dance to come through.
Training for competitions and not your career: I saw dancers at Varna who turned in
beautiful performances night after night and yet struggled in a ballet class to put two or three
steps together, says Roy Kaiser, artistic director of Pennsylvania Ballet. Remember that your
ultimate goal is not to win a competition; its to develop clean, solid technique. Dont skip class
to practice your variations, and while youre in class, focus on the clarity and purity of your
dancing. A strong foundation will enable you to adapt to different styles and will make you an
attractive candidate for professional companies.
Bad behavior: Dont be a diva. You may be performing principal parts in competition, but stay
humble; remember that nearly every ballet career starts in the corps. And throwing a tantrum
when a variation doesnt go your way will only show directors and judges that youre not ready
for the professional ballet world. No matter what happens on- or backstage, keep it classy.
Did You Know?
Ballet competitions can be especially helpful for international students. Medalists from abroad
often have a leg up when applying for U.S. working papers, making it easier for them to work
with American companies.
- See more at:
http://www.dancespirit.com/2010/03/ballet_competitions_101/#sthash.zqG2wc1p.dpuf