Solos Competition 2019

Wednesday December 4^th 2019

Our annual in-house Solos Competition finals in December, saw students in Years 11 - 13 who had placed top in the Solos preliminary round, go on to compete in the final. The competition is part of their training, and allows students learn and perform solos from the classics, experiencing competition conditions in front of live audiences.  This year we introduced a new contemporary element for Year 12 and 13 students, in response to ever-changing dance industry trends, to help prepare them for their careers with professional dance companies.

Artistic Director, Robert Parker said: “We are very proud of all of our students, as standards were high for both the technical execution of the classical solos, and the creative versatility of the contemporary pieces. Huge thanks go to Mikaela Polley, former Rehearsal Director of Rambert Dance Company, for working with our students to choreograph their own contemporary material; and to our panel of judges - all classical and contemporary dance professionals - for their time and support: Samara Downs (Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal), Brandon Lawrence (Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal), Catarina Carvalho (Studio Wayne McGregor Dance Artist), Johnny Autin (Autin Dance Theatre, Creative Director).”

The Winners:

Year 11 Classical:

Female Prize: Caitlin Godfrey - 1st variation from Swan Lake pas de trois

Male Prize: William Davolls - Male variation from Paquita

Year 12 Classical:

Female Prize: Miho Tanaka - Bridesmaid’s variation from Don Quixote

Male Prize: Nat Sweeney - Male variation from Tchaikovsky pas de deux

Year 13 Classical:

Female Prize: Leila Wright - Female variation from Tchaikovsky pas de deux

Male Prize: Ben Randall - Male variation from Grand pas Classique

Year 12 Contemporary:

Female Prize: Miho Tanaka - Nobody Knows

Commendation: Serena McCall - Meticulous

Male Prize: Nat Sweeney - Breathe

Year 13 Contemporary:

Female Prize: Madeleine Irwin - Marimba

Commendation: Leila Wright – Artificial          

Male Prize: Ben Randall - Zemblanity

Commendation: Enrique Ngbokota – For Me

Congratulations to all of you!