01 Mar 2022
The Prix de Lausanne’s vast network of Partner Schools and Companies includes some of the most respected institutions in every geographic area of the world. Our partnership with these instutitions enables each year’s Prize Winners to benefit from either a year’s training or a year’s apprenticenship with the Partner School or Partner Company of the candidate’s choice.
It is of course every candidate’s goal to participate in the final and win either a scholarship or apprenticeship, however, the Prix is not just a competition. It is a week where the candidates work intensively in daily classes and coaching sessions with some of the most respected professionals in the dance world. The week culminates in the Final which is followed by the Networking Forum, a platform for non-prize winners to been seen by our Partner School and Company Directors, often leading to many additional scholarships and apprenticeships.
The Prix de Lausanne is a Swiss cultural institution that receives a significant amount of financial support from Swiss public and government entities. Its mission is to provide talented young dancers with enhanced access to ballet and to support their development as artists. In matters relating to international politics, like other cultural institutions receiving financial support from Swiss government entities, we follow the guidance of Swiss authorities.
Given the current situation in Ukraine, the Prix de Lausanne has suspended its institutional partnership with its Russian partner schools, the Vaganova Ballet Academy in Saint Petersburg and the Perm State Ballet School in Perm. The impact of these suspensions will be that Prix de Lausanne competition winners will not be able to use their scholarship to attend these schools, nor will these schools be able to attend the Prix de Lausanne. However, these suspensions do not prevent any Russian dancers, including students currently attending these schools, from applying and participating in the Prix de Lausanne. Students of every nationality and from any school can apply and participate in the Prix de Lausanne competition, without exception. The Prix de Lausanne is an inclusive institution that values equal opportunities and does not discriminate in terms of nationality, gender, origin, religion or financial means. The video auditions, evaluated by an international jury of at least nine members, are anonymised so that jurors are not provided with any information about the candidates’ name, school or nationality. Their selections are made purely on the basis of talent and potential.