Medalists And Awards Announced For 2014 USA International Ballet Competition
JACKSON, Miss., June 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Having experienced two weeks of intense, world-class competition, 28 dancers were selected as 2014 USA International Ballet Competition medalists and the recipients of scholarships and cash awards.
Senior Division Medalists are:
Men's Senior Gold Medalist –
Jeong Hansol, Republic of Korea
Women's Senior Gold Medalist –
Shiori Kase, Japan
Men's Senior Silver Medalist –
Byul Yun, Republic of Korea
Women's Senior Silver Medalist –
Irina Sapozhnikova, Russia
Tamako Miyazaki, Japan
Men's Senior Bronze Medalist –
Aaron Smyth, Australia
Ivan Duarte, Brazil
Women's Senior Bronze Medalist –
Ga-Yeon Jung, Republic of Korea
Junior Division Medalists are:
Men's Junior Gold Medalist –
Taiyu He, Peoples Republic of China
Women's Junior Gold Medalist –
Gisele Bethea, USA
Men's Junior Silver Medalist –
Jinsol Eum, Republic of Korea
Women's Junior Silver Medalist –
Mackenzie Richter, USA
Men's Junior Bronze Medalist –
Gustavo Carvalho, Brazil
Women's Junior Bronze Medalist –
Yasmin Lomondo, Brazil
Paulina Guraieb Abella, Mexico
Special awards were bestowed to:
Best Junior Couple –
Yasmin Lomondo and Gustavo Carvalho, Brazil
Best Senior Couple –
Ga-Yeon Jung and Ji Seok Ha, Republic of Korea
Choreography Award –
Nicholas Blanc for Aaron Smyth "Rendez-Vous"6+
Jury Award of Encouragement Male-
Yue Shi, Peoples Republic of China
Jury Award of Encouragement Female-
Romina Contreras, Chile
Robert Joffrey Award of Merit –
Daniel Alejandro McCormick-Quintero, Mexico
Contracts and Scholarships were given to:
The Joffrey Ballet has offered Blake Kessler, USA, a full scholarship to the 2015 Summer Program with continuation into the Trainee Program.
The Joffrey Ballet has offered the following dancers full scholarships to the 2015 Summer Program with continuation into the Studio Company: Taiyu He, Peoples Republic of China; Matthew Griffin, USA; Gustavo Carvalho, Brazil; and Yue Shi, Peoples Republic of China.
The Joffrey Ballet has offered Dae Han Na, Republic of Korea, and Jeong Hansol, Republic of Korea, positions with the Company for the 2015-2016 season.
The following awards are offered to Matthew Griffin, USA, for the 2014-2015 season: A Trainee position with Ballet Memphis, a one-season contract with Columbia City Ballet and a full tuition scholarship to the 2015 Colorado Ballet Summer Intensive.
Ballet West has offered Anisa Sinteral-Scott, USA, a position with Ballet West II for the 2014-2015 season.
Houston Ballet has offered Mackenzie Richter, USA, a position with its Second Company Houston Ballet II for the 2014-2015 season.
The School of the Hamburg Ballet has offered Katherine Barkman, USA, a scholarship for the 2014-2015 school year. She has also been offered a one-season contract with Columbia City Ballet and the opportunity to compete in the 2015 Tanzolymp Competition in Berlin.
Texas Ballet Theater has offered Paula Alves, Brazil, a Trainee contract for the 2014-2015 season.
The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre has offered Gisele Bethea a full scholarship and stipend for Fall 2014 and a Studio Company position in Spring 2015.
The South Mississippi Ballet Theatre has offered Olga Marchenkova and Ilya Artamonov the opportunity to perform leading roles in their 2014-2015 season's production of The Sleeping Beauty.
"Our international jury did a great job selecting winners for 2014," said Sue Lobrano, USA IBC executive director. "With every USA IBC, we see an intense level of skill and artistry among dancers and this competition was no exception."
To celebrate the presentation of the USA IBC honors, the C Spire Awards Gala will be held Saturday, June 28 at 7 p.m. This event will be followed by an Encore Gala, an event featuring the medal winners on Sunday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m.
"Preparing for and competing in the USA IBC is highly valuable to young people seeking to make their mark in the dance world," said Edward Villella, USA IBC jury chairman. "The experience is an achievement of a lifetime."
The USA IBC is a two-week, "olympic-style" competition where tomorrow's stars vie for gold, silver and bronze medals; cash awards; company contracts; and scholarships. The event is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, the USA IBC is held every four years in Jackson, Miss., in the tradition of sister competitions in Varna, Bulgaria, and Moscow, Russia.
For more information about USA IBC, visit www.usaibc.com or www.facebook.com/usaibc.
SOURCE USA International Ballet Competition
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