Gold medal awarded to Canadian Finalist,
Céline Gittens

After a tough selection process by a panel of distinguished Judges, chaired by Dame Beryl Grey DBE, the Genée International Ballet Competition Gold medal was awarded to 17 year old Céline Gittens from Canada for her outstanding performance at Sadler’s Wells on Sunday, 11 September 2005.
Some of the world’s finest young ballet dancers entered the Final at Sadler’s Wells, each of them competing for a coveted medal and up to £5,000 in prize money.
The audience are also given the chance to vote for their own Genée winner, often producing a very different ‘winner’ from the official decision however as the recipient of the special Audience Award Céline’s exceptional performance evidently charmed the judges Dame Beryl Grey DBE, David Nixon and Wayne Sleep OBE and audience alike.

Sliver Medals were awarded to Nicki Moffatt and Annie Carroll from Australia and Jade Hale-Christofi from the UK. The Bronze medals went to Australia’s Nathan Young and UK’s Julia Davis. Each finalist performed three variations; one of Michael Corder’s specially commissioned variations, one choreographed by Antony Dowson for the 2004 competition in Athens and their own choice of Classical Repertoire variation.

A record number of 53 candidates travelled to London from all over the world including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada & the USA to take part in this internationally renowned competition and finalists from 6 different countries danced on Sadler’s Wells stage, a theatre with a history of bringing the very best international and UK dance to London audiences.

Tension had been rising at the Royal Academy of Dance last week as the candidates spent 5 days in intensive coaching sessions and rehearsals with renowned dance Faculty in preparation for the Genée Semi-finals which took place on the 8 and 9 of September. Candidates worked with distinguished British choreographer Michael Corder learning variations, Danse Galante (male) and Danse Coquette (female), choreographed exclusively for this year’s competition. Michael Corder explains,

“I have created two challenging pieces for this year’s candidates; it tests them technically - both variations require them to be quick and responsive, and it will also test their musicality. But I have to say they have risen to the challenge. The joy in working with such young dancers is their hunger and drive, that’s what makes the creative process fun and hopefully that will come through in their performances on the night.”

Whilst Finalists awaited the Judges’ decision Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur performed Impromptu, to rapturous applause. Originally created in 1982 by Derek Deane to showcase the talent of Dame Antoinette Sibley, President of the Royal Academy of Dance and David Wall, it has since become an acclaimed piece, performed to audiences all over the world.

After an absence of four years, the Genée Final returns to London following competitions in Sydney, Australia, Birmingham, England and the 2004 competition which took place in Athens in the run up to the last Olympics. The competition promotes and rewards standards of excellence in young ballet dancers aged 19 years and under from all over the world. It offers competitors the experience of working with world-renowned teachers and choreographers and the opportunity to dance at prestigious international venues.
The 2006 Genée International Ballet Competition will take place in
Hong Kong.


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www.geneeballetcompetition.com

Notes for Editors
The Genée International Ballet Competition was first staged in 1931 and is named in honour of Dame Adeline Genée, co-founder and first President of the Royal Academy of Dance.

In 2002, the competition was held at the Sydney Opera House, the first time the competition had been held outside of London; and attracted a record number
of candidates.

Finalists

Awarding of Medals
Three medals may be awarded for females and three for males – gold, silver and bronze.
Medals are awarded to candidates showing the highest levels of competency in the stated criteria.
Prize money will be awarded to medallists up to the following amount in each category for female and male:

Gold £5,000 (Male & Female Award)
Silver £3,000 (Male & Female Award)
Bronze £2,000 (Male & Female Award)

The Gold medal is only awarded when a candidate, in the judges’ opinion, demonstrates exceptional technical skills, an innate response to music, outstanding performance qualities and charisma
The Silver medal is awarded to a candidate who is proficient in technique, musicality and performance
The Bronze medal is awarded to a candidate who is proficient in technique, musicality and performance although some areas of the work may be less strong than others.

The Royal Academy of Dance is a global organisation with 15,500 Members, a worldwide staff of 153 and 165 examiners. With offices in 82 countries and headquarters in London. It is the largest ballet examination and teacher education organisation in the world.

Its mission is to promote knowledge, understanding and practice of dance internationally. It seeks to accomplish its mission through examining students of ballet, educating and training teachers of dance and promoting the study and performance of dance.