The Erik Bruhn Prize is presented
every year by the National Ballet of Canada and is always a night of amazing
ballet, stunning choreography and fresh new faces. Erik Bruhn was one of the
most highly regarded dancers in his time and that legacy has continued to this
day. He began his career with the Royal Danish Ballet, but travelled to several
companies around the world, and finally finished his career right here in
Toronto as the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1983-86.
Bruhn was praised for being not just a dancer with perfect technique but a
dancer that embodied characterization and storytelling as the feature in his
performances. His work went above and beyond the steps and touched audiences
around the world.
The Erik Bruhn Prize was
established by Bruhn in his will. Bruhn left a portion of his estate to be
awarded to one male and one female dancer between the ages of 18-23. Today five
companies participate in the Prize, the National Ballet of Canada, The American
Ballet Theatre, The Royal Danish Theatre, San Francisco Ballet and Stuttgart
Ballet. The Artistic Director from each company picks one male and one female
dancer to send to the Toronto for the competition. Each pair dances a classical duet and a
contemporary duet. Despite dancing in pairs, each dancer is judged individually. Last year Elena Lobsanova from the
National Ballet of Canada and Cory Stearns from the American Ballet Theatre won
the prize. In addition, last year a Choreographic Prize was added and Canadian
choreographer Matjash Mrozewski won.
The Erik Bruhn Prize will be held this year at the Four Seasons Centre
on March 5th.
