Sun 23 July 2023
Sydney Opera House
Concert Hall
What a day! On Sunday we saw the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall light up for the Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship with a showcase of outstanding talent and dedication from Australia’s next generation of lead dancers, in one of the most prestigious events in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fostering creativity since 1933 – Sydney Eisteddfod offers performance opportunities to everyone that enters, creating a richer and more vibrant culture, so that we all can dream, perform, achieve and inspire.
The event was live streamed via the Australian Digital Concert Hall across the nation with life-long lover of ballet and a communications specialist Nicole Chettle as Compere.
We were honoured to have leading industry Adjudicators for the Ballet Scholarship: the current Artistic Director and choreographer of Houston Ballet Stanton Welch AM; Assistant Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet Greg Horsman; Director of The Australian Ballet School Liza Pavane; and teacher and coordinator for the pre-professional program at Queensland Ballet Academy Claire Phipps-Males. We also welcomed renowned dancer and teacher Marilyn Jones OBE as guest presenter.
The 2023 Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship was awarded to Henry Burgess from Oatley, NSW. Second place was awarded to Mantraa Rane from Melbourne. Congratulations Henry and Mantraa!
The Ballet Scholarship finalists were lucky enough to be in the running for many additional awards thanks to our amazing donors.
From Queensland Ballet and Queensland Ballet School, Airran Pillay, Summer Edgley (Gold Coast and BMC Coaching), Ben Moss (St Ives and Alegria) and Ella Marshall (Central Coast and The Academy) received Professional Development Opportunities
From Houston Ballet, Airran Pillay (Sydney and Tanya Pearson Academy), Mantraa Rane, Summer Edgley and Henry Burgess received Professional Development Opportunities. From Australian Ballet and Australian Ballet School Airran Pillay and Georgia Lorange (Tamborine Mountain and Dance North Academy) received Professional Development Opportunities.
For closest in standard to the scholarship winner, Claudia Gordon, from Sydney and Dance North Academy was awarded the Christine Walsh’s Ballet Conservatoire Training Program Award. The Capezio Most Promising Dancer was awarded to Bonni Bolam for talent and consistency across all genres.
Photos by BWP Studios.
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This event would not be possible without the support of The Estate of the Late Mr. Leslie Andrews, Bloch for Dancers, Sydney Eisteddfod Jubilee Fund, The Australian Conservatoire of Ballet and Capezio.
