Watch Students from the Royal Ballet School Perform at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
For the ballet world, Lausanne, Switzerland means one thing: the home of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. But dancers aren’t the only ones to think of the French-speaking city as synonymous with competition. Lausanne is the base for the International Olympic Committee headquarters, and this year it is also hosting the Youth Olympic Games.
The 2020 winter games, which opened yesterday, run through January 22. And they invited the Prix to participate in their opening ceremony. The Prix brought in 14 students from London’s Royal Ballet School, one of its official partner schools, to dance an adaption of Didy Veldman’s Is To Be, which was created during the competition’s 2019 Choreographic Project. Catch the high-energy performance below by clicking through to the official Olympic YouTube channel and fast forwarding to 46:43.
This performance wasn’t the PDL’s only involvement in the games. Director Kathryn Bradney was selected to relay the Olympic flame in Lausanne’s Place de la Riponne earlier this week. “It is such a privilege for the Prix de Lausanne to be part of the Youth Olympic Games,” says Bradney. “Our common missions of supporting and encouraging young elite artists and athletes makes this a unique and inspiring experience.”
Does this only whet your appetite for the PDL? Don’t worry, the countdown to this year’s competition is on. The 2020 edition, held in the nearby city of Montreaux, runs February 2-9. In the meantime, you can get to know the 10 American competitors here.
