15 August 2024
Having waited 7 years since the last competition which was held in Florence, Italy, (Covid intervened!), both Kate Simmons and myself [Gillian Hurst], as the UK delegates, were very pleased to be able to accompany 10 students, 4 Juniors and 6 Seniors, to the beautiful campus of Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
The students were selected earlier in the year during an event held at Elmhurst, and came from KSDance in Warrington, Moorland International Ballet Academy in Clitheroe, Children’s Ballet Wales in Newport, South Wales, and Art of Motion International Dance Laboratory in Scotland.
Senior and Junior delegates
Cecchetti International Classical Ballet was founded in 1997 and prides itself on the very close collaboration between 7 societies, two from the United States and one each from Italy, South Africa, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and as the Competition happens every 3 years, the host is different each time. This year, the host was the Cecchetti Council of America and their organisation and overall care and attention to detail was superb, with everyone; 42 competitors and their coaches plus delegates, receiving the warmest of welcomes.
The students enjoyed daily classes in Classical Ballet with Franco De Vita (Juniors) and Diane van Schoor (Seniors) and Contemporary with Matthew Farmer, as well as scheduled coaching sessions with Kate Simmons and myself, building towards the end of the week when classes were open to audience viewing, with the Ballet class being adjudicated. A Cecchetti teachers summer course was held at the same time as the competition and their support of the competitors was very welcome.
Senior and Junior delegates
We then moved on to the Ballet and Contemporary solos, also adjudicated, and we were delighted when 4 of our UK students went into the finals, 2 Juniors, Finn Anderson and Maddison Thew, and 2 Seniors, Melissa Hughes and Hannah Shutt. The finals were very exciting, with all 4 students performing superbly: Finn and Maddison were awarded several scholarships to US summer schools in 2025, Aida Fernandez Bautista was awarded the Artistry prize and Oliver Bocero Hanan was approached by Orlando Ballet Company who expressed an interest in seeing him after he has completed his training. Melissa and Hannah performed like the two young professionals they are, and the remaining students, Elizabeth Yarwood, Charlie Beth Smith, Millie Conway and Mei Takahashi also acquitted themselves extremely well, with all 10 students handling themselves with the utmost professionalism at all times, proving to be wonderful ambassadors for the UK, the ISTD and the schools/colleges where they study.
Senior delegates
All the students felt this was a very worthwhile experience. They had the opportunity to make new friends, take classes with such experienced and inspiring teachers accompanied by wonderful pianists Stefano Curina and Carl Haan, and were able to perform on a global platform in front of an illustrious panel of adjudicators – Evelyn Cisneros-Legate, Oliver Munoz, Anthony Randazzo, Ravenna Tucker Wagnon and Alice Klock.
Senior delegates with Gillian and Kate
As the competitors made their way home, the delegates from all 7 International Societies held a three day conference during which there was ample opportunity to discuss all aspects of the Competition, as well as the encouragingly high standard of Cecchetti trained students across the world. This was a valuable time for us as we exchanged opinions, ideas and looked to the future with much confidence.
A huge thank you to the Cecchetti Society Trust who so generously sponsored 6 of the 10 students chosen to represent the UK, and to the ISTD who supported Kate Simmons and myself in making this journey a reality.
Written by Gillian Hurst - Cecchetti Lead Examiner for Vocational qualifications and ISTD Delegate for CICB
