Helsinki International Ballet Competition 2009 - Three Finnish Dancers in the Finals
8.6.2009
The Finals of the sixth Helsinki International Ballet Competition will be seen on Tuesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 10 at the Finnish National Opera. After the Second Round, where Competitors performed contemporary dance works, 29 Competitors – 8 juniors and 21 seniors – out of 43 semifinalists have qualified to the last Round. In the Second Round juniors, aged 15-18 years and seniors from 19 to 25 years, performed fragments of contemporary dance works. The competitors had chosen numbers both from neoclassical and pure modern works. Two Finnish choreogaphers, Jorma Elo's two works and Marianne Rouhiainen's one work were seen on stage. The Finalists will perform both a classical and modern number in the same evening. One of the numbers must be a pas de deux or two classical variations from 19th or 20th century's classical ballet repertoire. The Performances may not last more than 10 minutes. The Contemporary Ballet Fragment must be created after 2000 and may not exceed 6 minutes. The Competitors must not have performed these numbers during previous Rounds. Half of the Finalists will perform on Tuesday, June 9 and the other half on Wednesday, June 10. The international Jury will choose the Prize Winners of Helsinki International Competition 2009 on the basis of the Finals. The Names of the Winners will be released on Thursday, June 11. The Competitors try to reach the Gloria Grand Prix of 12.000 euros. There are 50.000 euro to be awarded to the three best Competitors in each Division, both junior girls and boys and senior ladies and men. The first three Prize Winners also get a bronze miniature statue by Sculptor, Professor Laila Pullinen. Furthermore the Pessi & Illusia Prize by Professor Doris Laine-Almi and Professor Heikki Värtsi is worth 3.000 euros. Even other Prizes can be awarded, if the Jury so decides. After over a weeks excitement the Helsinki International Ballet Competition 2009 comes to an end at a Gala performance on Thursday night June 10, with the Prize Winners and Star Guests. Premier Dancer Denis Matvienko, Yao Wei and her Polish born Partner Marcin Kupinski as well as Salla Eerola from Finland will be performing. China born Yao Wei was the Grand Prix Winner - at that time a junior - in Helsinki 2001. She now is a Principal Ballerina at the Royal Ballet in Copenhagen. Marcin Kupinski is the Winner of Varna International Ballet Competition 2002 and a Principal Dancer at the Royal Ballet in Copenhagen.Salla Eerola who performs a pas de deux of Le Corsaire with Denis Matvienko at the Gala has been with the Finnish National Ballet since 1996. She is well known for many principal roles of both classical and contemporary ballets. She was a Junior Finalist at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition 1995.The Finalists: Juniors: 5 Meaghan Hinkis, USA, junior, F14 Maria Baranova, Finland, junior, F28 Camille Bracher, South Africa, junior, F29 Nuri Oh, Korea, junior, F1 Lonnie Weeks, USA, junior, M7 Junxiong Zhao, China, junior, M22 Jeffrey A. Cirio, USA, junior, M24 Gergely Leblanc, Hungary, junior, M Seniors: 47 Huixin Zhang, China, senior, F54 Aino Ettala, Finland, senior, F56 Magda Matejkova, Czech Rep., senior, F62 Alena Shkatula, Belarus, senior, F71 Seul Ki Park, Korea, senior, F73 Nadzeya Filipava, Belarus, senior, F82 Yulin Su, China, senior, F84 Tiina Myllymäki, Finland, senior, F91 Hong Yu Guo, China, senior, F94 Haijing Yao, China, senior, F36 Junshuang Huang, China, senior, M41 Brooklyn Mack, USA, senior, M42 Lee Fennell, South Africa, senior, M53 Jim de Block, Belgium, senior, M69 Avetik Karapetyan, Armenia, senior, M75 Wenjun Zhang, China, senior, M77 Arman Zazyan, Armenia, senior, M78 Maxime Quiroga, France, senior, M80 Young do Lee, Korea, senior, M83 Yeonill Joon, Korea, senior, M
90 Xiaoyu He, China, senior, M
