Confirmed Executive and Artistic Director, Prix de Lausanne

PRIX DE LAUSANNE

47th International ballet competition

February 3rd - 10th, 2019

Next finals: Saturday February 9th, 2019

Stéphane Lagonico, President of the Board of Directors, announces the appointment, with immediate effect, of Kathryn Bradney as Executive and Artistic Director.

Following the Fondation en faveur de l’Art Chorégraphique’s official Board meeting, Ms. Kathryn Bradney has been elected unanimously as full-time Executive and Artistic Director of the Prix de Lausanne after completing a 4-month period ad interim. During that period, she has shown her excellent organizational and artistic skills as well as her focus on the dynamic future of the Prix de Lausanne, for which she has earned the trust of the Board of Directors.

“We are delighted to appoint Kathryn Bradney and are very happy that we will have her skills, perception and energy to lead this outstanding and much-loved competition into its 48th year of existence. We have every confidence that her vision and leadership will ensure a vibrant future for the Prix,” said Stéphane Lagonico, President of the Board.

Kathryn Bradney is a former Principal Dancer and ballet master from the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and co-founder, with her husband Igor Piovano, of the Igokat Dance Academy. Kathryn Bradney has been a Prix de Lausanne media producer, production manager and a member of the competition’s preselection jury for over 11 years.

“I’m very pleased and grateful to accept the task of leading this wonderful and impressive institution that is the Prix de Lausanne,” said Kathryn Bradney. “My work for preparing the next competition in February 2019 has been thrilling and I am very inspired to build on the Prix de Lausanne’s impressive legacy and to bring growth, development and expansion to the bright future of the Prix de Lausanne. In doing this, I am very fortunate to be able to count on outstanding existing resources, with a strong operational team and a dedicated Board of Directors.”

Since accepting the Direction of the Prix de Lausanne, Kathryn Bradney has focused her energies on the organization of the Prix de Lausanne 2019, the new Swiss Workshop and the preselections in Brazil, organized in September 2018. She has been working on new future projects that will soon be announced all in accordance with the new strategy which was defined by the Board of Directors in the Autumn of 2015. Her vision is to maintain the Prix de Lausanne’s high standards in artistry, ethics and care for its participants, while enhancing the relationships with partner schools and companies.

Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is an annual international competition for young dancers aged 15 to 18. Its goal is to discover, promote and support the finest talents. More than 70 of the world’s most prestigious dance schools and companies, such as the Royal Ballet in London, the Hamburg Ballet School (John Neumeier), the Ballet Nacional Sodre in Montevideo, the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, the Hong Kong Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet School and the Australian Ballet, are associated with the Prix de Lausanne and support its activities. One of a kind, the Prix de Lausanne represents – for more than 45 years – an exceptional experience for a yearly selected group of youthful talents to nurture their skills and step towards a professional career. It is open to dance professionals who can observe and establish contacts with the candidates, thereby transforming Lausanne into the world’s capital for young dancers during the week of the competition.