The panel includes Kevin O'Hare, director-designate of The Royal Ballet who takes up his appointment as director of the legendary British ballet company later this year.
Also serving on the jury for the first time will be Dr Ramona da Sáa, director and professor at the National Ballet School of Cuba, Leticia Müller, former ballerina of Birmingham Royal Ballet in the UK and PACT Ballet in SA, and Lynn Wallis, artistic director of the Royal Academy of Dance in London.
For the first time in the history of the biennial CTIBC, male and female participants will be judged separately in both the classical and contemporary sections. There are 50 entrants from South Africa, the Republic of South Korea, Argentina, Armenia, Russia, the USA, Brazil, Australia, China and Cuba, ranging from 15 to 28 years of age.
To further enhance the standard of the competition and the entrants, the CTIBC co-operates with the South Korea International Dance Competition, the Geneé International Ballet Competition, several top ballet institutions in Cuba and the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) among others. In line with his association with the YAGP, Dirk Badenhorst, CEO of the CTIBC, has announced that a South African candidate of his choosing will be given the opportunity to compete in the YAGP in New York. The CTIBC will award the dancer a return air ticket to New York at the final gala performance that will bring the competition to a close on Sunday, 4 March.
