Crash course in competition: Limon, Petipa, Bournonville styles challenge NYIBC dancers.

In a midtown Manhattan dance studio, Laura Kleinke, a participant in the New York International Ballet Competition, absorbed the intricacies of Bournonville's fleet footwork, as Danish ballet mistress Eva Kloborg coached her in Kermesse in Bruges. Across the hall, Roxane D'Orleans Juste smoothed out the partnering kinks for a couple learning Jose Limon's Mazurkas. And in a studio around the corner, former ABT ballerina Martine van Hamel instructed Kathleen Breen Combes in how to breathe suspension into her releve turns in arabesque for La Bayadere. * At the New York International Ballet Competition, held this year June 8-29, forty-eight dancers from twenty-four countries gathered for an intense crash course in the scrutiny of professional dance. Unlike other competitions, none of the participants know what duets will be selected until they arrive, allowing for a fairer starting point. At this event, the journey is as important as the final destination, the medal ceremony. * But medals have their significance, particularly when directors of ballet companies from around the globe--and balletomanes of all stripes--have come to bear witness. So, at the gala closing night on June 29 at Lincoln Center, the international panel of judges, headed by Natalia Makarova, granted the honors. Cold medals were awarded to two men: the feline Chilean dancer Cesar Morales and the virile Ogulcan Borova from Turkey. No women won gold, but the graciously lyrical Argentine ballerina Ludmila Pagliero won a silver medal, as did the princely Kristoffer Sakurai from Demmark. Bronze medals went to Victoria Jaiani from Georgia (see Young Dancer, DANCE MAGAZINE, August, page 71) and Alexei Agoudine from Russia, as well as American dancers Caitlin Valentine and Jonathan Jordan. Pagliero also received the Igor Youskevilch Award, guaranteeing her a one year contract with American Ballet Theatre. Unshakeable in her technique and radiant onstage, Kathleen Breen Combes, noted by the judges to be "a dancer of special attributes," took the Lefkowitz Award. And former international ballet icon Cynthia Gregory was honored with a gold medal for her contributions to the dance world and the competition.

In the eyes of Ilona Copen, the founder and executive director of the competition, this year's competitors, ages 17-24, differed from previous groups in their unalloyed seriousness. "They're here to work," said Copen. "I think they are a reflection of the times. They've had to grow up very quickly." That didn't mean that the dancers insensitively elbowed each other while jockeying for position. "They've also bonded faster than any other group and have a sense of togetherness," she added.

Without question, the dancers, who despite performing as couples were judged individually, agreed that the hardest part of the competition was the first week, when they learned three pas de deux in six days, while overcoming jet lag. "Monday was a very long day," said Kleinke, a long-limbed, 20-year-old ballerina front City Ballet of San Diego, who secured a finalist position. "Everybody was very nervous and excited, and there were a lot of mixed feelings. You were just trying to get a feeling for the schedule. It was definitely intense."

Each day started at 9:30 A.M. with a ballet class taught by Deborah Wingert for the women and Stephen Pier for the men. During the nine-hunt days of the first week, the dancers divided into three large groups to learn the required choreography of the pas de deux from the coaches hired for their expertise in the various styles--in this case, Bournonville, Limon, and Petipa.

"The first week, it's learning overload," said Copen. "They don't ever quite know how to pace themselves."

Andrea Bena, an 18-year-old Italian participant who had never been to New York before, agreed "At first, it's more difficult mentally. By the end of the week, you feel it physically," he said "Because you have to concentrate the whole day, you have to be a very intelligent worker."

During the second week, the couples received individual sessions from the coaches to individual their style and technique. All the dancers said they had performed something by Petipa in their young careers, while most claimed they had either danced Bournonville or seen the style performed. According to Juste, a twenty-year Limon Dance Company veteran, none had danced Limon's work; some had never had any modern dance training at all. The challenges of the scarf pas de deux from the second act of La Bayadere lay in the sheer exposure of the technique. Kermesse in Bruges tripped up a number of dancers with its tricky mix of precision, charm, and bravura steps.

Kleinke said La Bayadere was the hardest piece technically, while Limon's Mazurkas presented the greatest challenge stylistically. "Bayadere showcases a lot of the things I struggle with--extensions and partnering work--so it's a good challenge for me." But for Kleinke, like most of the other dancers, her unfamiliarity with the Limon style presented a unique hurdle. "It's hard to relax. As ballet dancers we're always so squared off and centered. In Limon, it's all about curves and moving, relaxing and dropping."

From Juste's coaching perspective, the most demanding aspects of Mazurkas surfaced in the musicality, the attention to details, and the motivation. "The initiation of the movement comes from a very different source than what they're used to--abandoning themselves to the weight of the movement and the cadence and the beautiful lilting quality of the Chopin mazurkas," said Juste. "The freedom of expression of the spirit and the movement comes from the individual."

The first two rounds, in which the dancers tackled the Bournonville and Limon duets respectively, narrowed the final competition down to the fifteen who went on to dance La Bayadere. Even the dancers who lost in the first round emerged somewhat wiser and stronger. And nothing rewards a dancer more than identifiable signs of improvement, whether in technique, artistry, stamina, or self-confidence.

"I was here first to learn, then to see what I could do in the competition," said Bena, who was eliminated after the first round. "I came here to see how other dancers dance--from [the U.S.], Russia, Europe, and South America."

For Kleinke, it was about pushing her limits. "It's definitely more stressful than being in a ballet company. There's a high demand on your body, physically and mentally. It makes you a better dancer to push through it."

For the audience, nothing beats the joy of watching the dancers giving it their best shot. The success of the competition has been evident over the last twenty years--many of its alumni are now featured in a ballet companies. In fact, Copen announced that it was time for the competition to have more visibility. Starting now, the New York International Ballet Competition will be held every two years, rather than triennially.

Joseph Carman, a professional ballet dancer now retired, is a contributor to DANCE MAGAZINE, The New York Times, and The Advocate.