![RAD Fonteyn Medallist Lucia Moore. Photo: Martin Bell](/images/thumbs/cw-63525-660x375.jpg)
This year's Fonteyn will take place in London in the week 1 – 8 September, with the grand final at His Majesty's Theatre on Sunday, 8th September. In the week building up to the final, the 70+ dancers from all over the world will have the opportunity to work with internationally renowned professionals, among them RAD director and former Royal Ballet principal dancer Alexander Campbell and the outgoing director of The Royal Ballet School, Christopher Powney.
At stake are a number of prizes: Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, the Dame Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award, a Choreographic Award and this year for the first time a Musicality Award. In addition, all candidates will be considered for scholarships in a variety of schools across the globe.
With the exception of the Audience Choice Award, the winners will be picked by a panel of judges, which includes the current RAD president Dame Darcey Bussell, The Royal Ballet director Kevin O'Hare, ballerina Alessandra Ferri, Dame Monica Mason and Ashley Page.
The level of the competition is normally very high, so the final should be an exciting show, this year even more so because it will feature a guest appearance from Northern Ballet dancers Harris Beattie and Saeka Shirai, who will dance the impassioned balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet in the version by Christopher Gable and Massimo Morricone, recently seen in full at Sadler's Wells.
Beattie is an RAD alumnus, who won the gold medal, the choreographic award and the people's choice award in the 2017 edition of the competition – the first person in its history to win all three. Japan's Saeka Shirai is a seasoned professional, the winner of the silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition.
A fascinating subsidiary event will be a session on musicality, where Dame Monica Mason and Ashley Page will explore the essence of this ineffable art, and demonstrate through a live coaching session with a dancer. It will take place at RAD HQ on Monday, 2 September 1900–2000. Full details and tickets here
What | RAD Fonteyn Competition, His Majesty's Theatre |
Where | His Majesty's Theatre, 57 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QL | MAP |
Nearest tube | Piccadilly Circus (underground) |
When |
On 08 Sep 24, 19:00 Dur. TBC (includes one interval) |
Price | £13-£97 |
Website | Click here to book |