Genée International Ballet Competition 2010

The Genée International Ballet Competition 2010 finished in top form with the Final performed to a sold-out auditorium, held on Sunday 21 November at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London.

12 candidates, carefully selected from 71 Semi-finalists, performed a selection of 19th and 20th century solos and variations, plus a specially commissioned piece created by choreographer, Liam Scarlett.

Judges Dame Antoinette Sibley DBE, Dame Monica Mason DBE and David Nixon OBE awarded silver medals to Francesca Hayward (The Royal Ballet School) and Sean Bates (The Royal Ballet School) and bronze medals to Tierney Heap (The Royal Ballet School, Centre Pointe Dance School), Orazio Di Bella (Elmhurst School for Dance) and Lachlan Monaghan (The Royal Ballet School). No gold medals were awarded at this year's competition. The Audience Choice Award, given to the audience's favourite candidate, was also awarded to Francesca Hayward.

______________________________________________________________________

RAD celebrates 90 years

2010 marked the Royal Academy of Dance's 90th anniversary. We celebrated with 90 days of online activity on our website including an e-book that grew every day with quirky facts and interesting images. This interactive trip down memory lane will walk you through the many milestones in the RAD's history, from its founding as The Association of Operatic Dancing, to the RAD knitting parties during World War II, up until last year's Genée International Ballet Competition.

The RAD's Philip Richardson Library has opened its archives to track each decade through rare photographs, unseen footage and audio files, which are interspersed with quirky, personal stories from real-life members, dance historians and prima ballerinas delving into the past. Take a look at the two volumes of the e-book on the RAD website.