Canadians finish 2nd, 3rd behind Aussie in ballet contest
Last Updated: Sunday, August 24, 2008 | 3:05 PM ET
CBC News
Nicole Ciapponi, 14, of Surrey, B.C., shared the silver in the female competition with Chelsea Andrejic from Australia. Canadians Nicole Ciapponi and Alexandra Bertram landed in second and third place respectively behind Australian Aaron Smyth, who captured top spot at the annual Genée International Ballet Competition.
Smyth, 17, grabbed the gold as well as $11,000 in the prestigious competition on Saturday night in Toronto — the first time it has been held in North America. He was declared the overall winner from both the male and female categories.
Dame Antoinette Sibley, president of the Royal Academy of Dance, which sponsors the competition, praised Smith as a dancer who demonstrated "exceptional technical skills, an innate response to music, outstanding performance qualities and charisma."
Ciapponi, a 14-year-old from Surrey, B.C., shared the silver prize as well as the $6,600 purse in the female category with Chelsea Andrejic from Australia.
Alexandra Bertram, 19, of Calgary shared bronze with Ya Xuan Xu of China. Bertram, from Calgary, shares the bronze placement — and the $4,400 that goes with it — with Ya Xuan Xu of China.
In the male division, Yuma Kozuki from Japan and Hong Tao Lin from China were awarded the silver prize and share $6,600. No bronze medals were handed out.
A total of 53 dancers, including 10 from Canada, had been competing in the past week for one of 16 spots in finals. Bertram and Ciapponi were the only Canadians to reach the finals.
The Genée has been staged for the past 80 years by the Royal Academy in London and since 2002 has alternated between the U.K. and overseas.
Judges included Karen Kain, artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada, Ashley Wheater, artistic director of the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and Rex Harrington, artist-in-residence with The National Ballet of Canada.
