Fourteen dancers win prizes at the Prix de Lausanne

Blake Metcalf from the US performs in the final of the 54th Prix de Lausanne. Keystone-SDA

Fourteen young dancers were awarded prizes at this year's prestigious Prix de Lausanne international dance competition. Seventy-nine participants - 41 girls and 38 boys - from 18 countries took part in the event.

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A total of 21 dancers from eight countries made it to the final: of these, 14 received a scholarship to join one of the competition’s partner schools or companies, the organisers said in a press release on Saturday evening. They come from South Korea (6), China (3), the United States (2), Japan (1), Belgium (1) and Romania (1).

For the 2026 edition of the competition created in 1973, the 15-18 year-old participants were selected by a jury of nine professionals. In all, they viewed the videos of 444 dancers (339 girls and 105 boys) of 43 different nationalities, according to the organisers. A total of 71 candidates were selected following the video competition, while eight others had already been shortlisted.

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From Monday to Thursday, the young talents were coached by renowned dance teachers and choreographers. They benefited from group classes and individual coaching for their classical and contemporary variations, which they then presented on Friday during the selections for the final.

Tribute to the star Sylvie Guillem

Thanks to their bursaries, the three winners aged 15 and 16 will be able to study for a year at one of the partner schools of their choice. The other eleven, aged 17-18, will have the opportunity to spend a year as an intern with the partner company of their choice.

The jury was made up of nine members of the international dance elite. This year it was chaired by Kevin O’Hare, director of London’s Royal Ballet. He was head of the jury in 2017.

On the sidelines of Saturday’s final, prima ballerina Sylvie Guillem, 60, received a lifetime achievement award. Considered one of the greatest ballerinas and a key figure in the development of modern dance, the French dancer is a star of the Paris Opera Ballet and London’s Royal Ballet. Rudolf Nureyev named her étoile, the top-ranking female dancer, in 1984 at the age of 19. She ended her career in 2015.

The Prix de Lausanne 2026 ended on Sunday with the “Rising Stars” show featuring the finalists of the 54th edition.

Adapted from Italian by AI/sb

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