From every part of our world…
This year, we reimagined The Fonteyn and delivered it online to ensure that we could offer candidates a rich and inspiring experience.
We are delighted that we were able to proceed with the competition this year and believe that the changes made the event more accessible. We allowed more dancers, from every part of our world, to benefit from the expert coaching and performance opportunities that The Fonteyn experience brings.
We asked some of the finalists what their favourite things have been about the competition being online this year.
Olivia Chang Clarke, UK
“With the competition being online this year, it has given us an incredible opportunity to work with highly talented professional dancers and teachers from all over the world, and given us a taste of what professional life is like. It was also amazing to learn new work from Ashley Page. It was a great honour to dance a brand new piece that has never been seen before.”
Amber Mitchell-Knight, Australia
“Honestly, I am just so grateful that the competition has been online, which for me, meant that I would be able to participate, not just because of the pandemic but also from a financial point of view. Whilst it would have been another wonderful life-changing experience to be able to compete in-person travelling to London, realistically financially this probably would not have been an option for me. I have really appreciated and enjoyed participating in the online competition this year. I feel so fortunate to have had the ability to take classes online, learning from such wonderful teachers from across the world and lucky enough to engage with such inspirational people in the industry. I have learnt about some of their life experiences through my research and their journey towards becoming a participating member of the competition. My favourite thing about competing in the competition online would have to be the overall experience. The opportunity, the people, the organisation, and the joy of dance.”
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Mia Atkinson, Australia
“My Favourite thing about the competition being online was the coaching sessions. I gained so much knowledge from my mentor Amber Scott from the Australian Ballet Company.”
Tayla De Bie, South Africa
“My favourite thing about the competition being online this year was the zoom coaching session I had with Leanne Benjamin on my classical variation. To receive such encouraging, personalised corrections from a former principal ballerina of The Royal Ballet is a dream come true. Leanne Benjamin is a role model and I was so inspired after our coaching session. I will cherish the experience forever.”
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Paige McElligott, South Africa
“It was amazing to have online one-on-one coaching sessions with inspirational teachers.”
Hannah Martin, UK
“I have loved the process of being able to hone my skills and solos so I can present my best self. Filming is an important part of any dancer’s career in regards to audition tapes and self-assessing, so I believe this competition has really pushed me to explore this aspect of our profession. It has given me the chance to analyse the finer details as there is truly nothing you can hide when you are able to pause, rewind, and playback in slow motion.”
This year’s online final takes place on Thursday 9 September at 7.30pm BST, ticket holders can watch the event on demand, until 19 September 2021.