At the end of this month, 88 dancers from around the world will compete at the prestigious 52nd annual Prix De Lausanne for a chance to win scholarships and contracts with some of the biggest names in ballet. During the week-long competition, dancers will have both technique and contemporary classes followed by classical and contemporary variations coaching with a performance at the end of the week.
Though the competition starts in January, the selection process starts as early as July during the Prix De Lausanne summer intensive, when four candidates are preselected. Then the other eighty-four dancers are selected through video submission. Out of the 88 candidates, there are only 20 finalists and seven to eight prize winners.
Dancers are judged based on their classes throughout the week and performance of a classical and contemporary variation. Aaron Sharratt won the PDL prize in 2010. “You see all these other dancers your age that are so good and to be placed in the top seven of them… it gave me confidence to move into the next part of my career which is being a professional,” he said. Sharratt used his prize from PDL to become an apprentice at Houston Ballet and is now a soloist with the company. Along with Sharratt, many notable dancers have come out of PDL, including Misa Kuranaga – Principal (the highest rank in a company) with San Francisco Ballet, and Hannah O’Neill – Principal with Paris Opera Ballet.
Ballet competitions are known to have an unnerving atmosphere, so Sharratt, “didn’t expect it to be so welcoming and to have so many of the dancers… be so friendly and so supportive.” Although the central focus for competitions always seems to be on winning, PDL is also a week-long opportunity to learn and grow. “If you go in there with ‘this is a competition I’m here for me.’ You close yourself off to the other dancers and the great coaching you can get. You’re doing yourself a disservice,”Sharatt explained, “Go there with an open mind and an open heart to learn as much as you can and just really enjoy the experience… just learn.”
Classes and coaching at PDL are taught by many former principal dancers as well as directors of ballet companies and schools including Paris Opera Ballet and Royal Swedish Ballet. The week-long intensive is not only a chance to earn offers but also for dancers to develop their skills and ability. “I came away from it thinking that everyone, if they have the opportunity to do Prix De Lausanne, they should.” Sharratt said.
