[ad_1]
Jiji Press LAUSANNE (Jiji Press) – Japan's Sumina Sasaki won the third prize at this year's Prix de Lausanne, a prestigious international competition for young ballet dancers on Saturday.
Two other Japanese dancers, Yu Wakizuka and Mio Sumiyama, were fourth and eighth respectively in the 47th annual competition held in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Sasaki, 18, from Higashiosaka City in Osaka Prefecture, in western Japan, began attending a ballet school at the age of 3. She is now learning ballet in Zurich, Switzerland.
"I did not expect to win a prize. It's like a dream, "Sasaki told reporters.
"With this award, I have taken a step to become a professional ballet dancer," said Sasaki, who aims to perform in a European ballet troupe. "This is my starting point."
"I could dance comfortably," said Wakizuka, 17, of Osaka City. "Even though I made a mistake, I do not regret it. I had a good experience, "he added.
"I could dance without getting nervous," said Sumiyama, 18, from Tokyo's Setagaya neighborhood. "I'm really happy to win a prize," she said.
The main winner of this year's award is Brown Mackenzie from the United States. The second prize went to Figueredo Gabriel from Brazil.
In total, 74 dancers from 19 countries took part in this year's Prix de Lausanne. Among them, 21, including four Japanese, were selected as finalists.
The laureates each receive a scholarship and one year of free tuition in one of the partner ballet schools of the Prix de Lausanne.
Source link
