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The Mabel
Ryan and Barbara
Geoghegan Awards 2007
The
annual Mabel Ryan and Barbara Geoghegan Awards took
place once again at the Robin Howard Theatre, The Place
on Sunday 11th February.
Elisabeth Swan, Chairman of the Cecchetti Society Classical
Ballet Faculty, opened the day with a welcome and an
introduction to Terry Wright, adjudicator for the Junior
and Middle sections, who was trained at Arts Educational
School, London and who, after a professional dancing
career, joined Arts Educational School, Tring as Deputy
Director of Dance. The Vacani Awards for Joy of Dance
were adjudicated by Mary Stassinopoulos.
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| Barbara
Geoghegan Winners and Runners-Up (L-R) Lauren-Clare
Smith Runner-Up, Ruth Brill Winner, Benjamin Griffiths
Winner, Kazuka Oike Runner-Up, Haruka Tabei Runner-Up |
The
Junior and Middle Awards produced a good number of entries
and a new format this year allowed competitors to perform
their dance in pairs, straight after their classwork.
The dances were choreographed by Lucy Pohl (Junior)
and Susan Handy (Middle).
Terry Wright, in her adjudication, congratulated the
dancers and their teachers on the overall standard of
work and went on to say how lucky the children were
to learn the Cecchetti Method with its lovely use of
épaulement and use of the back. She encouraged
them all to share their enjoyment of dance with the
audience and to remember that “a secure technique
is a vehicle to perform”. Particularly pertinent
was her comment that performance is a three dimensional
art form, and that this should be in evidence even when
facing away from the audience. Mary Stassinopoulos also
congratulated the competitors, reminding them of the
importance of eye focus, and not to allow the eye-line
to drop when concentrating on more complex movement.
Both adjudicators offered encouragement with numerous
commendations prior to runners-up and winners, as listed
separately.
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| Senior
Award (L-R) Alice Smith Runner-Up, Richard Glasstone
Adjudictor, Stephanie Case Winner, Francesca Ardley
Runner-Up |
The
Senior section took place in the afternoon and was judged
by Richard Glasstone, well known to all as a respected
teacher, examiner and writer. In his adjudication he
too congratulated teachers on the candidates' well prepared
work. He went on to say that the general standard was
high and that, in his opinion, three performers stood
out, namely the winner and two runners-up. The solo,
danced by each entrant, was choreographed by Susan Handy.
Sarah Wells presented the work for all three levels
and Liz Hewson, as ever, played with her usual compassion
for the classwork and dances.
The highlight of the day, the Barbara Geoghegan Award,
for students at Vocational Schools, produced the highest
entry yet; 16 girls and 10 boys. They were given a fast-moving
yet challenging class by Darius James, Cecchetti trained
by Richard Glasstone and founder and Director of Independent
Ballet Wales. The students were all given the opportunity
to show their strengths, producing exciting work of
a very high standard, spurred on by the music of Derek
Downes. The climax was the performance of their chosen
classical variation.
The entrants were pupils from The Arts Educational School,
Tring, Central School of Ballet, English National Ballet
School, Kate Simmons Dance Ltd and Rambert School. Richard
Glasstone enthused over such a large entry, one with
a high proportion of boys, and all the students performing
to a high standard. In recognition of the numbers, special
permission had been granted for him to be able to award
both a male and female statuette this year.
An enormous amount of work goes on behind the scenes
to produce such a successful occasion and all credit
and thanks must go to Judith Wilson, Chairman of the
Cecchetti Group with help and support from Susan Handy,
members of the Mabel Ryan Sub-Committee, the Cecchetti
Group and the Cecchetti Teachers' Association. The Cecchetti
Society is grateful for the continuing sponsorship of
Freed of London Ltd, to International Dance Supplies
for gifts to winners and runners-up, to Oberon Books
for their gift of books for prizes and to Dancia for
their donation of gift vouchers.
Linda Pilkington
Photography: Geoff Wheatley
Results
• Junior
Runner-Up: Emma Rainey (Judith Wilson)
Winner: Rebecca Scanlon (Sarah Johnson)
• Junior Vacani
Runner-Up Isabella Brookes (Juliet Locks/Lucy
Pohl)
Winner Emma Rainey (Judith Wilson)
• Middle
Runner-Up: Naomi Esser (Elisabeth Swan)
Winner: Alexandra Holburt (Jane Scholl/Cara Drower)
• Middle Vacani
Runners-Up: Clare Agnew (Wendy Mitchell)
Naomi Esser (Elisabeth Swan)
Winner: Bryony Taylor (Pippa Reece/Francesca Brown)
• Senior
Runners-Up: Francesca Ardley (Diana Thwaites/Linda Pilkington)
Alice Smith (Carolyn Parker)
Winner: Stephanie Case (Susan Handy)
• Barbara Geoghegan Award
Runners-Up: Kazuka Oike (Arts Educational
School, Tring)
Haruka Tabei (Kate Simmons Dance)
Lauren-Clare Smith
(Kate Simmons Dance)
Winners: Ruth Brill (English National Ballet School)
Benjamin Griffiths (English National Ballet School)
Commendations
• Junior: Isabella Brookes (Juliet
Locks/Lucy Pohl)
Ebony Hensler (Judith Wilson)
Louise Mansfield (Diana Cremona)
Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet Locks/Lucy Pohl)
Amy Rendall (Diana Cremona)
Lily Rogers (Jane Worsley)
•
Middle
Eleanor Austin (Elisabeth Swan)
Camilla Marchant (Jane Worsley)
Joanne Quinney (Elisabeth Swan)
Alice Thurlow-Craig (Vanessa Gardner)
Alice Waters (Jane Scholl/Cara Drower)
•
Middle Vacani
Alice Thurlow-Craig (Vanessa Gardner)
Abigail Marley (Sarah Wells)
Alice Waters (Jane Scholl/Cara Drower)
Alexandra Holburt (Jane Scholl/Cara Drower)
•
Senior
No Commendation Awarded
• Barbara Geoghegan Award
James Espinosa Chute (Arts Educational School,
Tring)
Azusa Oishi (Kate Simmons Dance)
Jamiel Patel (Arts Educational, Tring)
Mandev Sing Sokhi (Kate Simmons Dance)
Katie Webb (Arts Educational School, Tring)
Jack Wilcox (Arts Educational School, Tring)
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