Inside Prix de Lausanne: The Final Results

February 4, 2017

What a week it’s been! Yesterday, the 20 Prix de Lausanne finalists took the stage for a final chance to win scholarships and apprentice contracts with some of the world’s major ballet institutions. Throughout the week, I’ve had the privilege of observing all 67 talented dancers in classes and onstage, and there’s no way I would have been able to make a decision. The talent and determination from these budding young artists is unprecedented. To quote Hamburg Ballet artistic director John Neumeier, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award at last night’s awards ceremony, “There are no firsts or seconds in human beings.”

Nevertheless, eight dancers won a scholarship to enter one of the 68 Prix de Lausanne partner schools and companies of their choice.

They are, in order of ranking:

  1. Michele Esposito, 17, Italy


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

2. Marina Fernandes de Costa Duarte, 17, Brazil


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

3. Taisuke Nakao, 17, Japan


Photo by Gregory Batardon, Courtsy PdL.

 

4. Koyo Yamamoto, 15, Japan


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

5. Lauren Hunter, 15, USA


Photo by Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

6. Stanislaw Wegrzyn, 18, Poland


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

7. Diana Georgia Ionescu, 16, Romania


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

8. Sunu Lim, 17, South Korea


Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

 

In addition, four other awards were given out:


Denilson Almeida. Gregory Batardon, Courtesy PdL.

Contemporary Dance Prize: Michele Esposito, Italy

Audience Favorite Award: Marina Fernandes de Costa Duarte, Brazil

Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Artistic Award: Denilson Almeida, 16, Brazil

Best Swiss Candidate Prize: Michele Esposito of Italy (a student at Tanz Akademie Zurich, in Switzerland)

 

Over the next month, the winners will work with the Prix de Lausanne to determine which school or company will be the best fit, with their decisions listed on the website.

The Prix’s networking forum allows non-finalists, as well as those finalists who didn’t receive a scholarship, to be considered by partner schools’ teachers and directors. Those results will also be posted to the website later in the year. Congratulations to all!

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