For the first time in 2018, the Prix de Lausanne partner schools have been invited to send two of their best students to Lausanne to create a one-of-a-kind collaboration. For this first edition of the project, 50 students from all around the world came to Beaulieu Theatre – independently of the competition – to learn a new piece (Pulse, music from Owen Belton) created by the renowned choreographer Goyo Montero.
In 2019, for the second edition of the project – it is with the Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman that 26 dancers met in Lausanne to create a new piece, Is to Be (music from Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa). The dancers then performed their work during the Interlude on Saturday 9th February, 2019 as a world premiere!
They said about the project…
Arlene Minkhorst, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
“I am in awe of this project and the opportunity for our students. They are so very excited to participate!”
Indrani Delmaine & Gigi Hyatt, The School of the Hamburg Ballett John Neumeier
“This will be such a valuable experience for all students involved. We are very very grateful and appreciative that they can be offered this exceptional opportunity.”
This project was supported by the Fonds pour l’Équipement Touristique de la Région Lausannoise (FERL), an anonymous donor, the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation, the Friends of the Prix de Lausanne and Dance West.
Didy Veldman
Choreographer for the second edition, in 2019 “Developing a clear concept and inspiring 25 international students to create a unique work for the Prix de Lausanne in 9 days is huge challenge for me as a choreographer. There seems to be so much division in our world and it is wonderful to be given the opportunity to unite students from different partner schools to work together on a new creation. I’m very excited to be part of the Prix once more and look forward to the experience.”
Her biography
Dutch Artistic Director, choreographer and contemporary teacher Didy Veldman trained in Amsterdam. She danced with Scapino Ballet, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Rambert Dance Company and co-founded Alias Company in 1992. Didy left Rambert in 2000 to concentrate on her choreographic career and has created over 40 works for 25 international companies. In 2016 she started her own Company ‘Umanoove’ with support from Arts Council England and private donors. Close to the Prix de Lausanne, Didy has been the contemporary teacher in 2010, 2011 and 2017 and one of her pieces has been proposed as a contemporary variation for the 2012 and 2013 editions of the competition.
Choreographer for the first edition, in 2018 “The initiative for this wonderful project came from Shelly Power. Ideally it should serve both aims: making a piece that stands by itself and at the same time showing the young artists the process of a choreographic creation. I am very fond of working with young talents who are mostly free of prior set ups, willing to appear in the open and to take their place. It will be an exciting challenge for us to come together with the mutual goal to realize this project within a very restricted time frame. I am very much looking forward to this unique experience.”
His biography
Born in 1975 in Madrid, Spain. He was formed by Carmen Roche and completed his studies at the Royal Conservatory for Professional Dance in Madrid and the School of the National Ballet of Cuba. Among others he received the following awards as a dancer: Winner of the Prix Lausanne in 1994 and Gold Medal and Grand Prix at the International Ballet Competition of Luxembourg. Critics of Dance Europe Magazine nominated him Best Dancer of the season 2003/2004. Goyo Montero was Principal Dancer at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and soloist at the Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Wiesbaden and the Royal Ballet of Flanders.
As a choreographer he created pieces for Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera of Kiel, Ankara and Izmir State Ballet, Modern Dance Turkey, the Company Gregor Seyffert, Ballet Carmen Roche, National Ballet of Cuba, the Ballet de Teatres de la Generalitat Valenciana, the Company Maggio Danza and Compañia Nacional de Danza, Acosta Danza, Context Festival Diana Vishneva/Perm Ballet and National Ballet Sodre, Uruguay, among others. With season 2008/2009 Goyo Montero is ballet director and principal choreographer of Nuremberg Ballet. In 2012 and 2017 Goyo Montero has been member of the jury at the Prix de Lausanne. From 2013 until 2016 his choreographies have been part of the contemporary repertoire of this competition. His creations became part of the Beijing International Ballet und Choreography Competition in 2017. Among his awards: “Villa de Madrid” (2006); 1st award of the Iberoamerican Competition of Choreography (2006), Villanueva award by the UNEAC (Union of Writers, Critics and Artits of Cuba) and “Teatro de Madrid” (2006); “Best Italian production” by Danza&Danza for “Sleeping Beauty” (2008); Cultural Prize of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Middle Franconia (2009); Harlequin Award (2010); Premio Nacional de Danza by the Spanish Ministry of Culture (2011); Bavarian Culture Award (2014).
Danilo Fiorentino, Alexandra Dreyer – Academy of Dance, Mannheim
Grace Robson, Jack Wolff – American Ballet Theater – JKO School
Alisa Uzunova, Diego Urdangarin – Ballet Academy, University of Music and Performing Arts Munich
Francesco Fasano, Amyra Badro – Ballettschule Theater Basel
Mark Cuddihee, Mari Chen-Fiske – Boston Ballet School
Daina Zolty, Tristan Brosnan – Canada’s National Ballet School
Bridget Lee, Michel Lavoie – Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
Callum McGregor, Helena Maude – Central School of Ballet
Alexandre Joaquim, Kevin Seiti – Centre International de Danse de Marseille (PNSD Cannes-Mougins, Marseille)
Anya Lydon, Jonatas Soares – Dutch National Ballet Academy
Breanna Foad, Antoni Canellas – English National Ballet School
Georgia Baxter, Jacob Beasley – Houston Ballet School
Liliana Bozsanyi, Mark Plita – Hungarian Dance Academy
Emma Barattini, Gerson Sanca – National Conservatory Dance School – EDCN
Teagan Tank, Calum Gray – New Zealand School of Dance
Paula Tarragueel Aguilar, Samuel Sepulveda Sanguino – Palucca University of Dance Dresden
Viktoriia Snigur, Ivan Surodeev – Perm State Ballet School
Laura Van Loon, Achille De Groeve – Royal Ballet School Antwerp
Adrian Ziesel, Jasmine Jimison – San Francisco Ballet School
Sydney Claudette Merrilees, John Paul Lowe – The Australian Ballet School
Harrison Lee, Katharina Nikelski – The Royal Ballet School (London)
Amelia Tobin, Ludwig Rosenborg – The Royal Danish Ballet School
Heidi Salminen, Ryo Sasaki – The Royal Swedish Ballet School
Charlotte Kragh, Diogo Rodrigues – The School of the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier
Theo Just, Metasebia Plantefeve – Zurich Dance Academy
Second edition, in 2019: Is to be
Estela Merlos
Assistant to the Choreographer
Born in Barcelona, UK-based dance performer, teacher, choreographer and assistant director. She trained at Escola de Dansa Madó and Central School of Ballet. Estela danced with Cannes Jeune Ballet 2004-2006, IT Dansa 2006-2008 and Rambert 2008-2014, performing works by choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Carolyn Carlson, Nacho Duato, Merce Cunningham, Christopher Bruce, Itzik Galili. Independently she collaborates with Didy Veldman, Shobana Jeyasingh, Marcos Morau, Patricia Okenwa and Avatâra Ayuso. Her choreography has been presented in Spain and the UK and is Swindon Dance Associate Artist.
