The finals of the annual Ballet Teachers Workshop Scholarship were held on Sunday, August 28 at Darebin Arts Centre in Melbourne. A total of $7,675 was awarded in prizes.
More than 450 students auditioned for the scholarships, from which 124 finalists were chosen. The students were required to perform a solo for the finals.
Competitors in the two major prizes, the Paul Hammond Foundation award and the Mabel Pryde Memorial Scholarship, were required to perform a solo from a major ballet. Each has a first prize of $1000.
The adjudicators were Leanne Stojmenov, Kevin Jackson and Rachel Rawlins, all principal artists with the Australian Ballet. The winners were:
SECTION A: ages 7-9
1st: Mio Bayly (teacher: Anita
Michael/Carole Oliver School of Ballet)
2nd: Jaimie Hearn (teacher:
Emily Kheissy)
3rd: Renny Fang (Brian Nolan
Academy of Dance)
4th: Bianca Juelg (Cheryl Edmonstone
Juelg)
SECTION B: ages 10-11
1st: Victoria Norris (The Australian Conservatoire of Ballet)
2nd: Emily Bray (Jane Moore Academy of Ballet)
3rd: Freya Wilkinson (Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet)
4th: Ada
Sayasane (Anita Coutts School
of Dance).
SECTION C: ages 12-13
1st: Madelyn Rothe (Anita Coutts
School of Dance
2nd: Charles Herkes (Victorian College
of the Arts Secondary School)
3rd: Elise Foster (Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet
4th Alexandra Moore (Anita
Michael/Carole Oliver)
SECTION D: ages 14-15
1st: Harry Davis (VCASS)
2nd: Georgia Swan (Anita Michael/Carole
Oliver)
3rd: Amelia Drummond (Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet)
4th: Brydee Lyttle (Anita Michael/Carole
Oliver)
The Paul Hammond Foundation Award (males
aged 16+)
1st: Calvin Richardson (VCASS)
2nd: Jesse Homes
(VCASS)
3rd: Michael Ramsay (VCASS)
The Mabel Pryde Memorial Scholarship (females
aged 16+)
1st: Jessie Hamilton (VCASS)
2nd: Alana Puddy (Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet)
3rd: Teagan Donnelly (Australian
Conservatoire of Ballet)
Calvin Richardson was also awarded the Frances Naylor Award ($1000), which is awarded to the best overall winner of the two major awards.
Pictured are (front row, from left): Teagan Donnelly, Jessie Hamilton Alana Puddy (back row from left) Michael Ramsay, Kevin Jackson, Rachel Rawlins, Frances Naylor, Calvin Richardson and Jesse Homes.
See www.balletteachersworkshopvic.org au.
(See our forthcoming article about competing in eisteddfods in the Oct/Nov issue of ‘Dance Australia’ magazine.)