As one of ballet’s few major competitions, the Prix de Lausanne attracts the most highly trained dancers from all around the world. Anyone that has looked up ballet photos and variation videos, will recognise the bright and large stage with the grey floors and blue backdrop. For one week of the year, we get to see some of the world’s best students train and perform for a renowned panel of judges. As many of these dancers will continue on to dance with companies across the globe, Prix is a wonderful opportunity for audience members to see the next wave of budding dancers.
Prix de Lausanne started in 1972 as a way of providing grants to professional schools for the competitors. The competition soon grew to provide a path for dancers whom were ready to launch into professional careers, and eventually included contemporary choreography as the ballet world expanded past classical work. One of the Prix’s strengths has been its ability to give the competitors the best of the best training, coaching and insight, while allowing dancers, schools and companies to network and connect. So, why should you watch the Prix de Lausanne?
1. You get to see the next generation of dancers
Audiences are presumably filled with school and company staff, coaches, and family and friends of the dancers. But, with the availability of public events, and online livestreaming, access has expanded to include the wider dance audience. Personally, I love watching Prix because it’s exciting to see the next wave of dancers coming into the professional world right at the beginning of their careers. Many of the dancers at the Royal Ballet have competed in Prix. Recently promoted First Soloist Mayara Magri had danced a variation from Coppélia in Prix 2011 that she debuted on stage with the company this season. I think it would be an interesting opportunity to follow a dancer from Prix through to their professional career.
That being said, Prix is only a small part of the next wave of dancers, but there’s no other format to watch the incoming dancers of which I know.
2. Exposure to ballet and contemporary variations
Prix is a excellent way to further familiarise yourself with different variations, ballets and contemporary works at a very detailed level, especially when watching the coaching sessions. Prix provides a specific list of variations that the competitors can choose from. So naturally, we end up seeing the same variation a few times. The beauty of that is that the more we see a variation, the better acquainted we are with the nuances. There are also often different versions of variations, which I believe, unless otherwise said by Prix, is up to the competitor to choose. So now you are seeing different iterations of the same variations. Seeing repeating variations is also a great way to see how different dancers interpret the choreography and the pantomime. If you get a chance to watch more than the variations being performed, I strongly recommend watching the coaching for more details on interpretation from the coaches.
3. It’s fun to be a part of another global ballet event in the year
Probably the most obvious answer to why I watch the Prix is that it’s fun. There aren’t many global ballet events in a year, and if you aren’t near a theatre that regularly produces ballet, even less so. This is why I like to talk about the availability of ballet online, and different points of access to ballet. Prix is one of those few opportunities to be inspired, to learn, and to love dance if even from a distance.
So, why will you watch Prix this year?
You can watch the Prix de Lausanne LIVE here:
Can’t watch it live? You can watch the stream later on the Prix de Lausanne YouTube Channel.