New York International Ballet Competition

About

New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC), is a program providing dance education and employment opportunities for young dancers ages 17 to 24. In 1983 Ilona Copen founded NYIBC, with Igor Youskevitch as first artistic director, in order to fill a void and satisfy a need in the global dance ecosystem. Other international ballet competitions existed, but New York City, considered a dance capital of the world, did not have its own.

NYIBC’s mission is to discover the world's finest young ballet dancers, provide them with an extraordinary educational, mentoring and cultural experience, advance their careers by producing performances in New York City, and promote international understanding and goodwill.

NYIBC’s unique format in the ballet world provides its participants with a fair level playing field, and distinguishes it from all other ballet competitions.^[1] For the three-week intensive program of dance education and professional training, all 48 dancers from around the world receive full scholarships to participate. The dancers learn the same choreographic version of the pas de deux and contemporary duet chosen for each progressive round. Prior to arriving to New York City, none of the dancers know the choice of repertoire, thus increasing the fairness of the competition. The only previously planned choreography is the individual solo, performed during the second round. The tone of the three-week-long competiion, therefore, is much more similar to that of a professional company than a competition. The dancers come together from across the world and learn previously unknown choreography together. At the end, the performance rounds and gala take place over the course of 5 days, in the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Process

NYIBC participants live and work together during their three-week stay in New York. This gives them the opportunity to see what’s happening technically around the world and learn from each other in a highly collaborative atmosphere.^[2]

The competition begins with two weeks of technique classes and the learning and rehearsing of two classical and one contemporary pas de deux. The repertoire, chosen from our rich dance heritage, is taught by world-renowned teachers and coaches. Past repertoire includes the "Black Swan Pas de Deux" from Swan Lake, A Choreographic Offering by José Limón, the "Act III Pas de Deux" from Coppélia, the Fourth Movement duet from Aureole by Paul Taylor, and the Valse from Les Sylphides.

During the performance rounds, the participants perform for the public and the panel of judges.^[3] The first round is classical pas de deux, the second round a contemporary pas de deux and individual solos, and the final round is another classical partnering piece. Although they apply as couples, dancers are judged on an individual basis. All participants perform exclusively with the partner with whom they apply. Eliminations are made after each round. Dancers must participate in all rounds unless both partners are eliminated and, if chosen, perform in the Gala Performance.

Awards

The jury, composed of leading artistic figures from different countries, awards Gold, Silver and Bronze medals accompanied by monetary prizes. In addition, the jury gives awards for special artistic achievements.

Igor Youskevitch Award In 1996, American Ballet Theatre and NYIBC created an award to commemorate the life and work of NYIBC’s first Artistic Director, Igor Youskevitch. The Igor Youskevitch Award is a one-year contract to an NYIBC participant of American Ballet Theatre’s choosing. The award continues to be offered at the discretion of ABT’s Artistic Director, Kevin McKenzie.

Arpino Award In the spring of 2004, NYIBC and the Joffrey Ballet memorialized an agreement under which the Joffrey would offer a one-year contract to an NYIBC participant. The award is offered at the discretion of the Joffrey Ballet’s Artistic Director, Ashley Wheater. The award was named the Arpino Award in honor of Mr. Gerald Arpino, acclaimed choreographer, dancer and Co-Founder of The Joffrey Ballet.

Notable Participants

The following is a list of notable participants, and where they are now:

1984 – Victoria Mazzarelli, Artistic Director, The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts

1984 - Daniel Meja, former dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Kirov Ballet

1984 – Alexandre Proia, Artistic Director, Proia Dance Project in Atlanta; and, freelance Master Teacher and Choreographer. Formerly danced with New York City Ballet - Soloist, Martha Graham Dance Company and Boston Ballet; and, former Artistic Director at The Georgia Ballet.

1987 – Kenneth Greve, Artistic Director, Finnish National Ballet

1987 – José Manuel Carreño, Performing Artist, Master Teacher and Artistic Director of Carreño Dance Festival, former soloist at the American Ballet Theatre and principal at the Boston Ballet

1987 – Maximiliano Guerra, Director, Choreographer and Principal Dancer at Ballet del Mercosur and Co-Owner/Director of Fábrica de Arte

1987 – Xin Lili, Artistic Director, Shanghai Ballet

1987 – Anders Nordström, Principal Dancer, Royal Swedish Ballet

1987 – Yang Xin Hua, Director, Shanghai Ballet School

1990 – Barry Hughson, Executive Director, Boston Ballet

1990 – Diliana Nikiforova, Prima Ballerina, Sofia National Opera and Ballet

1990 – Silvina Perillo, Principal Dancer, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón

1996 – Gillian Murphy, Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre and Principal Guest Artist, Royal New Zealand Ballet

1996 - Carlos Molina, Freelance Dancer, former soloist at the American Ballet Theatre and Principal at the Boston Ballet

2000 – Sarah Lamb, Principal Dancer, The Royal Ballet

2003 – Cesar Morales, Principal Dancer, Birmingham Royal Ballet

2003 – Ludmila Pagliero, Danseuse Étoile, Paris Opera Ballet

2003 – Victoria Jaiani, Company Member, The Joffrey Ballet

2003 – Kathleen Breen Combes, Principal Dancer, Boston Ballet

2005 - Daniel Sarabia, Dancer, Maurice Béjart Ballet

2005 – Joseph Gatti, Soloist, Boston Ballet

2005 – Gleidson Soares Vasconcelos, Company Member, Ballet Arizona

2005- Xuan Cheng,[Principal dancer],[Oregon Ballet Theatre]

2007 - Elina Miettinen, Corps de Ballet, American Ballet Theatre

2007 – Eun-Ji Ha, Principal Dancer, Finnish National Ballet

2007 – Wu Husheng, First Principal Dancer, Shanghai Ballet

2007 – Paulo Arrais, Principal Dancer, Boston Ballet

2009 – Amber Neumann, Company Member, The Joffrey Ballet

2009 – John Mark Giragosian, Company Member, The Joffrey Ballet

2009 – Ricardo Santos, Company Member, The Joffrey Ballet

References

1. Anderson, Jack. "A Ballet Competition Tries To Quell Competitive Urges". The New York Times.
2. Catton, Pia. "The Friendliest Competitive Edge". New York Sun.
3. Aloff, Mindy. "Winnowing Out the Ones Who've Got 'It'". The New York Times.