Prix Benois de la Danse

The Benois de la Danse is a ballet competition founded by the International Dance Association in Moscow in 1991. It takes place each year on or around April 29 and is jury-based in its judging. The members of this jury change every year and consists of only top ballet personages.

Statuettes are given to the winners in the categories of Life-long Achievement, Ballerina, Danseur, Choreographer, Composer, and Designer.

The Benois de la Danse recognizes with monetary awards exceptional events occurring during the previous year on stages around the world. These include dancing roles of all kinds as well as choreographic accomplishments.

History

The idea for the Benois de la Danse was initiated in Moscow and the founders succeeded in obtaining the patronage of UNESCO in the autumn of 1992. Its scheduling at the end of April is meant to coincide with the birthday of the great Alexandre Benois (1870-1960) for whom it is named.

French sculptor Igor Ustinov designed the statuette of the Benois de la Danse award in 1992. He is the son of the famous actor Peter Ustinov, a great-nephew of Alexandre Benois.

Goals of competition

* To give the Benois audience the best performances of the works that have been entered, regardless of whom they were created by.
* To bring the best representatives of different dance styles and schools together.
* To support veterans of ballet financially, with funds from the gala concerts

Members of the Benois de la Danse jury have included

*Alexander Grant
*Altynai Asylmuratova
*Brigitte Lefèvre
*Carla Fracci
*Davide Bombana
*Frank Anderson
*Galina Ulanova
*Helgi Tomasson
*Irina Kolpakova
*John Neumeier
*John Taras
*Karen Kain
*Loipa Araujo
*Nadia Nerina
*Patrice Bart
*Peter Schaufuss
*Rudi Van Dantzig
*Rudolph Nureyev
*Yuri Grigorovich
*Yvette Chauvire

Laureates of the prize have included:

Lifetime achievement

*Alicia Alonso
*Fernando Alonso
*Jurgen Rose, designer
*Marina Semyonova
*Maurice Béjart
*Mikhail Baryshnikov
*Rudi van Dantzig

Choreographers

*Angelin Preljocaj
*Boris Eifman
*Carolyn Carlson
*David Dawson
*Davide Bombana
*Edouard Lock
*Jean-Christophe Maillot
*Jiri Kylian
*Martin Schläpfer
*Nacho Duato
*Roland Petit
*Valentin Elizariev
*William Forsythe

Ballerinas

*Alessandra Ferri
*Aurélie Dupont
*Diana Vishneva
*Dominique Khalfouni
*Elisabeth Platel
*Galina Stepanenko
*Isabelle Guerin
*Joo Won Kim
*Julia Makhalina
*Julie Kent
*Lucia Lacarra
*Marie Claude Pietragalla
*Silvia Azzoni
*Sue Jin Kang
*Sylvie Guillem
*Tamara Rojo
*Ulyana Lopatkina

Danseurs

*Andrei Uvarov
*Angel Corella
*Carlos Acosta
*Farukh Ruzimatov
*Gregor Seyffert
*Irek Mukhamedov
*Jean-Guillaume Bart
*Jeffry Gerodias
*Jiri Bubenicek
*Lloyd Riggins
*Lukas Slavicky
*Manuel Legris
*Marcelo Gomes
*Nicolas Le Riche
*Nikolay Tsiskaridze
*Sergei Filin
*Vladimir Derevianko
*Vladimir Malakhov

Composers

*George Couroupos

Designers

*Jaffar Al Chalabi
*Olivier Debre

External links

* [http://benois.theatre.ru Prix Benois de la Danse website "in Russian"]

Gallery