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Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition

October 22, 2025

On Sunday, the Royal Academy of Dance announced the winners of this year’s Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition (previously known as The Genée), which for the first time was held in São Paulo, Brazil. Competitors ages 15 through 18 traveled from countries across the world—from Canada to Australia and Thailand—and out of 35 dancers who competed in the semifinals on Saturday, 12 moved forward to the finals at São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Auditorium. (To qualify for the competition, students have to be members of the Royal Academy of Dance and have passed RAD’s Advanced 2 course with distinction.)

During the weeklong competition, participants vied for scholarships and received coaching from RAD artistic director Alexander Campbell and faculty members Daniela Severian and Lars van Cauwenbergh. Paloma Herrera and Julio Bocca judged the semifinals before being joined by Ana Botafogo and Mayara Magri for the final round. Magri, a current principal at The Royal Ballet and a native of Brazil, was also this year’s commissioned choreographer. Competitors performed one of her two original variations, Samba Alone and Frivolity (both to music by André Mehmari), at Sunday’s finals. In addition, dancers presented a “Dancer’s Own” solo created by themselves, a teacher, or a peer, to music of their choice.

  • Onstage, Samantha Maestre Cortez poses in arabesque with her bottom leg in plié as she looks slightly down, her arms extended in a high arabesque position. She wears a reddish-brown leotard with nude mesh at the top and a nude-gold bottom.
    Samantha Maestre Cortez. Photo by Iari Davies, courtesy Royal Academy of Dance.
  • Onstage, Valentina Toscani poses in tendu derriere with her torso slightly twisted so her extended arms match the line of her back leg. She wears a gold tutu with gold detailing and a matching tiara.
    Valentina Toscani. Photo by Iari Davies, courtesy Royal Academy of Dance.
  • Onstage, Rafaella Pinheiro Marion balances in retiré on pointe with her arms in the third arabesque position. She wears a purple tutu with pink flower bud details and a matching tiara, and a number is pinned onto her tutu.
    Rafaella Pinheiro Marion. Photo by Iari Davies, courtesy Royal Academy of Dance.
  • Onstage, Yasmin Oliveira Lopes dos Santos poses on pointe with her back leg in a high attitude derriere. Her arms are in a high fourth position, and she wears a bronze tutu with red and gold detailing. A number is pinned onto her tutu.
    Yasmin Oliveira Lopes dos Santos. Photo by Iari Davies, courtesy Royal Academy of Dance.

Without further ado, here are this year’s winners:

Gold: Samantha Maestre Cortez (18), Brazil, Lapidari Núcleo de Artes

Silver: Valentina Toscani (18), Brazil, Cia Jovem Basileu França and English National Ballet School

Bronze (tied): Yasmin Oliveira Lopes dos Santos (16), Brazil, Cia Jovem Basileu França

Bronze (tied): Rafaella Pinheiro Marion (15), Brazil, Iris Ativa-Lina Penteado

Additional awards: Marion received the Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award, Cortez won the Musicality Award, and Lárah Rachel de Carvalho Bento Rodrigues (18, Brazil, Centro de Dança Mariana Alves) won the Dancer’s Own Choreographic Award.

alexander campbell Ana Botafogo Daniela Severian julio bocca Larah Rachel de Carvalho Bento Rodrigues Lars van Cauwenbergh Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition mayara magri paloma herrera Rafaella Pinheiro Marion royal academy of dance Samantha Maestra Cortez The Fonteyn Valentina Toscani Yasmin Oliveira Lopes dos Santos