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Aucklander Hannah O'Neill has danced herself to first prize in a top ballet competition in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 16-year-old was chosen the ultimate winner after 85 competitors had been narrowed down to 20 finalists.
O'Neill was elated to be made a competition laureate, which she said came as a complete surprise. "I have always dreamed of coming to Lausanne so to win is a shock." After a week- long programme, she danced two solo pieces in the final - one a classical variation and the other a contemporary variation, choreographed by American John Neumeier. She is one of a select cluster of finalists who will have their tuition fees paid at a major international ballet school. O'Neill, who was born in Japan but raised in Auckland, first trained at the Mt Eden Ballet Academy and is now a member of the Australian Ballet Academy.
She has chosen to stay on in Australia to complete her four-year course, now subsidised by her competition win.
The Prix de Lausanne, an annual competition open to amateur dancers, is seen as a stepping stone for rising ballet stars. Previous winners have gone on to become principal dancers with top companies such as the Royal Ballet.
