27 June 2022
This year there have been an amazing 168 entries in total from the UK, Canada, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam, a tremendous illustration of the reach of Imperial Classical Ballet around the world.
Thank you to all teachers who have submitted videos and to the competitors for performing so beautifully. Grateful thanks are also due to guest choreographers Desire Samaai, Donald Vleugels, Tomoko Furuya Hristov and Andre Portasio for their beautiful variations and to adjudicators Diane Durant, Kathy Ingram and Tina Rodgers who had the challenging task of judging the videos and, along with the choreographers of each section, selecting the winners. The overall standard was impressively high.
Watch the results here:
Senior Winners
1st place: Chloe Drew, Pulse Dance Centre, Teacher: Melanie Dance (Canada)
Joint 2nd place:
Mia Byers, Kahli Lewis Dance Company, Teacher: Kahli Lewis, (UK)
Lincoln Russo, Poirier Productions, Teacher: Astrid Sherman (Canada)
3rd place: Lauren Travers, Sue Merrett School of Dance, Teacher: Sally Brenner (UK)
Senior Finalists - Special Commendation
Beatriz Sa Vouga, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Kirra Joyce, Pulse Dance Centre, Teacher: Melanie Dance (Canada)
Senior Finalists
Lois Pankhurst, Leonard Dance Academy, Teacher: Lorraine Swain (UK)
Charlotte Silvester, Leonard Dance Academy, Teacher: Lorraine Swain, UK)
Lara Kawatika, Lisa Maria British Ballet Arts, Teacher: Lisa Johannsen-Sawamura (Japan)
Olivia Toneguzzo, Pulse Dance Centre, Teacher: Melanie Dance (Canada)
Senior Commended
There were so many excellent entries in this category and we would like to mention these dancers who almost made the final.
Katy Degnan, Grantham School of Dancing, Teachers: Michelle Baker and Michele Bone (UK)
Isabelle Dobbs, Junior Masters Performing Arts, Teacher: Lorraine Swain, (UK)
Samuel Mills, Junior Masters Performing Arts, Teacher: Lorraine Swain (UK)
Sofia Lau, Kahli Lewis Dance Company, Teacher: Kahli Lewis (UK)
Rosie Dewell, Leonard Dance Academy, Teacher: Lorraine Swain (UK)
Pre-vocational Winners
1st place: Relinda Kozol Poirier Productions, Teacher: Astrid Sherman (Canada)
2nd place: Bárbara Beleza, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
3rd place: Maria João Andrade, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Pre-vocational Finalists - Special Commendation
Amelia England, Kahli Lewis Dance Company, Teacher: Kahli Lewis (UK)
Risora Suzuki, Lisa Maria British Ballet Arts, Teacher: Lisa Johannsen-Sawamura (Japan)
Mia Bonner, Joanne Bond School of Classical Ballet, Teacher: Joanne Bond (UK)
Pre-vocational Finalists
Le Ngoc Van Anh SMPAA – Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy, Teacher: Jenny Luu/Luu Thi Hoai Trang (Vietnam)
Olivia Morandin, Pulse Dance Centre, Teacher: Melanie Dance (Canada)
Keenan Mentzos, Pulse Dance Centre, Teacher: Melanie Dance (Canada)
Eunice Martins Jorge, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Mia Bonner, Joanne Bond School of Classical Ballet, Teacher: Joanne Bond (UK)
Pre-vocational Commended
In this section, there were many strong, well-trained entries and we would like to mention these dancers who almost made the final.
Catarina Rio, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Maria Araújo, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Hugo Biltes, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Rui Portela Teixeira, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Kacey Speakman, Dance Projection, Teacher: Heidi Speakman (UK)
Sienna Holmes, Jamie Lee Dance Academy, Teacher: Jamie Lee Tuffrey (UK)
Victoria Russo, Poirier Productions, Teacher: Astrid Sherman (Canada)
Ellie Chapman, Rye Dance Centre, Teacher: Joanne Fletcher (UK)
Hasmik Sarkissian, The Beverley School of Performing Arts, Teacher: Vivien Batchelder (UK)
Martha Powell, Walkhouse School of Dance, Teacher: Michelle Walkhouse (UK)
Vocational Winners
1st place: Louisa Best, Kahli Lewis Dance Company, Teacher: Kahli Lewis (UK)
2nd place: Ellie Block, June Glennie School of Dancing, Teacher: Sharon Glennie (UK)
Joint 3rd place:
Maria João Liete, Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Ana Echeverría Beramendi Escuela de Ballet Del Valle, Teacher: Martha Trejo O’Reilly (Mexico)
Maisy Savage Kahli Lewis Dance Company, Teacher: Kahli Lewis (UK)
Vocational Finalists - Special Commendation
Radha Ann Nambisan, The Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet, Teacher: Tracy Yana Lewis (India)
Desiree Bozzi Academy of Dance, Teacher: Diane Durant (Italy)
Vocational Finalists
Benedita Poças Martins Centro de Dança do Porto, Teacher: Teresa Vieira (Portugal)
Helena Fernández Alonso Arriaga Escuela de Ballet Del Valle, Teacher: Martha Trejo O’Reilly (Mexico)
Josie Bartlett Grantham School of Dancing, Teachers: Michelle Baker and Michele Bone (UK)
Vocational Commended
Some fine candidates entered this category and we would like to mention the following dancers who almost made the final.
Yuri Mizuno, Lisa Maria British Ballet Arts, Teacher: Lisa Johannsen-Sawamura (Japan)
Tanvi Mavuri, The Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet, Teacher: Tracy Yana Lewis (India)
You can read messages from the award's adjudicators here:
Diane Durant: Senior Heats and Pre-Vocational Finals adjudicator
"I was extremely pleased to adjudicate this year’s Solo Performance Awards. It was really enjoyable to watch all the candidates performing, thank you to all who took part.
The Senior solo was appropriate to the standard and allowed the dancers to show their artistry and musicality to the full, whilst the Pre-Vocational solo, suitably challenging, gave candidates the chance to show their full potential technically and artistically.
It was very interesting to see the variety of ways in which students from all over the world approached the solos and how they interpreted them so naturally and with obvious enjoyment."
Kathy Ingram: Pre-Vocational Heats and Vocational Finals adjudicator
"I was thrilled to take part in the adjudication of these prestigious awards. Talented young dancers from all over the world, carefully and lovingly taught, performed beautifully choreographed variations which gave them plenty of artistic, musical and technical scope. I only wish more could have been winners! Choosing was difficult!"
Tina Rodgers: Vocational Heats and Senior Finals adjudicator
"It was such a pleasure to adjudicate these awards. Prior to receiving the videos, I was slightly apprehensive as to whether viewing this event on a screen would be as enjoyable as being there in person, but as soon as I started to watch the dances, I became captivated by the charming presentation of the participants.
Each candidate had been well prepared by their teachers and it was lovely to see the careful technique and individual interpretations of the beautifully choreographed dances. It made my job as an adjudicator very difficult because there were all so good.
Selecting the candidates for the Vocational finals was a challenge because there were so many that were deserving of a place. For me, though, it was an even harder task to choose the Senior finals winners as they were all very close in standard. In the end, it was the innate musicality of the winner that, coupled with her neat and precise technique, made her very deserving of first place. "
All Participating Schools
Academy of Dance
Centro de Dança do Porto
Classical Ballet Centre Canberra
D’Arcy Stage School
Dance Projection
Dance@ Tania Rossopoulou School of Dance
Electra Star Dance
Encinos Imperial
Escuela de Ballet del Valle
Grantham school of dancing
Jamie Lee Dance Academy
Janet Marshall Dance Studio
June Glennie School of Dance
Junior Masters Performing Arts
Kahli Lewis Dance Company
Katie Philpott School of Dance
Le Ballet School
Leonard Dance Academy
Les Danseuses Academy of Ballet
LHDA
Lisa Maria British Ballet Arts
Morwenna Sturley School of Dance
Natalie Tough School of Dance
Northern School of Performing Arts
Performing arts east
Poirier Productions
Power academy of dance
Pulse Dance Centre
Raindance School of Performing Arts
Roynon Performing Arts
Rye Dance Centre
SMPAA – Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy
Starlight Academy
Sue Merrett School of Dance
The Beverley School of Performing Arts
The Boathouse Ballet School
The Emily Redding Dance Academy
The Joanne Bond School of Classical Ballet
The Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet
Timestep Academy of Dance
Walkhouse School of Dance
Congratulations to the winners and their teachers but also to all those who took part and made the awards possible. It was a privilege to adjudicate them and see all the lovely work that is being produced by Imperial Classical Ballet teachers in different countries around the world.
