The Princess Grace Academy Gala – to be held this year on June 23 and 24 at Salle Garnier – is an opportunity to marvel at the academy’s incredibly talented students and high standard of teaching.
Excellence and diversity are the cornerstones of the academy, which aims to train the next generation of dancers and prepare all students to join international dance companies. This year’s Academy Gala will take place in two parts.
Last year’s graduates will soon be leaving to join their companies, and perform in a first part entitled ‘Pas d’adieux’ (‘Farewell Steps’). Students will perform a series of stunning variations that pave the way for their upcoming débuts on the professional scene. These ‘Farewell Steps’ are also an opportunity to acknowledge and thank the Monaco audiences who have watched them grow and thrive year after year.
The Gala’s second part treats audiences to a series of pieces especially created for the Academy’s students based on Brahms’s Hungarian Dances. The 21 famous dances unfurl in a free-spirited, romantic atmosphere, allowing the choreographers to showcase a host of different styles, from classical and contemporary to more individual approaches.
The guests invited to choreograph for the young dancers include the Monte-Carlo Ballets’ own Jean-Christophe Maillot, Michel Rahn, Eugenio Buratti, Francesco Nappa, Sara Lourenco, Grigory Chicherin, Jeroen Verbruggen and a composition by YoungSeo Ko, a student at the Academy.
Here is a the list of the graduates of the 2017/2018 season and the companies they will join next year.
- Youngseo Ko , Korean, contracted to the Norwegian National Ballet, Oslo
- Yuka Matsumoto, Japanese, contracted to the Berlin Staatsballett
- Natatia Warzabluk, American, contracted to the Ballett ZürichIvana Bueno Garces, Mexican/American, contracted to the English National Ballet, London
- Yuria Isaka, Japanese, contracted to the Berlin Staatsballett
- Min-Ji Nam, Korean, contracted to the Stuttgart Staatsballet
- Martino Semenzato, Italian, contracted to the Stuttgart Staatsballet
- Shale Wagman, Canadian, winner of the Prix de Lausanne, contracted to the English National Ballet, London.