Prix de Lausanne features 87 dancers – one Swiss
Eighty-seven dancers (43 girls, 44 boys) from 18 countries are competing in the 52nd edition of the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland at the Palais Beaulieu.
The participants, aged 15-18, were selected from 425 applicants by video. Nadia Corboud, a student at the Danse Académie in Vevey, Switzerland, was selected for this year’s competition.
Throughout the week, the candidates will be judged in dance class and individually on stage. The final, scheduled for Saturday, will bring together the 20 best. Several prizes will be awarded. Between six and eight dancers will also receive a scholarship to study at one of the partner schools or companies.
The jury is made up of nine members. This year it is chaired by Darcey Bussell, president of London’s Royal Academy of Dance.
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The potential of the dancers is assessed according to a number of factors: artistic sense, physical aptitude, technical ease and the ability to assert themselves. As in previous years, the week is divided between dance classes and variations, both classical and contemporary.
Closing gala
In addition to the competition, this year the Prix de Lausanne will be staging its first “Rising Stars” gala. Scheduled for Sunday afternoon, it will bring together two former winners of the competition and the finalists of this 2024 edition. Various choreographic projects will also be presented.
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A number of side events are also planned, including a large-format photo exhibition on the Grand-Pont, a screening of the documentary Le Prix, and a presentation of the interactive installation “Danser à travers le temps”, which allows visitors to explore the competition archives.
The organisers will also be presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to Italy’s Alessandra Ferri, winner of the Prix de Lausanne in 1980 and future director of the Vienna State Ballet.
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