Hopes and standards were high at this year’s Cecchetti Ballet Australia Bursary Elimination Finals on Sunday night. Three generous bursaries were on offer, each providing financial assistance to travel and attend the prestigious International Cecchetti Ballet Competition, to be held this year in August in Richmond, Virgina, USA.
Twenty-one contestants from all over Australia were scrutinised throughout a day of classes and rehearsals before performing their solos in costume before an audience at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Each had to perform a classical as well as a contemporary solo.
The judges, Australian Ballet senior artist Juliet Burnett, former Australian Ballet principal Rachel Rawlins, and Simon Dow (presently a teacher at the Australian Ballet School), were all trained in the Cecchetti method and are all eminent in their field. After lengthy deliberations, they awarded the three covetted bursaries to Edward Pope and Rebecca Blenkinsop (both pupils of Anne Butler at the VCASS) and Chloe Michelle Hollow (a pupil of Monique Feain in Sydney).
Edward won his award with a sleek and elegant performance of the Le Corsaire solo and a contemporary solo he choreographed himself. Rebecca displayed exceptional flexibility and fluidity in both her solos, particularly her contemporary. Chloe chose the solo from the Bluebird pas de deux for her classical, which she performed with charm, while her contemporary stayed in theme with a blue tunic costume.
In announcing the awards, the judges praised all the students for their “amazing commitment, energy and presence”. However, they agreed that while the students showed a remarkable amount of freedom and use of movement in the torso and arms in their contemporary work, the same freedom was not as evident in their classical variations. “I feel that in the work for perfectionism that is inherent in classical ballet, the students become tense and lose some of the freedom we saw in the second variation,” Dow said.
“Don’t be afraid to take risks,” he said, “it’s a blessing to express yourself through this great technique.”
He also hinted that musicality was also an area that could be worked on.
Australians have won the International Cecchetti Ballet Competition since its inception in 2001: it is hoped the will dance away with top honours again this year.
Photos of Edward and Rebecca (in red and white) and Chloe (in blue) are by BELINDA.