Results of the First Round at the Jackson Competition

At a June 20 press conference, Bruce Marks, Jury Chair of the VII International Ballet Competition in Jackson, announced that 59 competitors from 17 countries have been advanced to Round Two, noted for its emphasis on contemporary works.

Nineteen of these are juniors, seven of which are young men, a dozen young women under the age of 18. Twenty-one males will dance in the senior division and nineteen young women.

In the presence of the majority of jurors, Marks attributed part of the high percentage of dancers to the introduction of audition videotapes as a means of screening ill prepared applicants. He also said, "These dancers have come a long way and we want to make it as inclusive as we possibly can."

Marks commented on the relative swiftness of the jury’s decision. "After we received a tally of our comments, it was perhaps twenty minutes before we reached our decision. Considering how some juries discuss until two or three in the morning, it was definitely a record."

Questions were raised about what the jury looks for. Bruce Marks commented he looks for the ability to connect the movement, and for dynamics and tension. Doris Laine, who has been present at all the Jackson Competitions and juror at six of them, said, "We are looking for the artist."

A question was raised about the level of the Bournonville interpretation, since Bruce Marks lived five years in Denmark and Frank Andersen, Director of the Royal Danish Ballet, were present, in addition to Doris Laine, who had worked with Harald Lander in Etudes. Andersen made the point, "Bournonville style should never become a museum." He also pointed out that there is a current effort to unify Bournonville Style, so that 6 or 7 teachers can go out and teach the style. Marks commented if one saw the 1903 movie of Bournonville Style it is obvious just how much the style has progressed to match the technical level elsewhere.