HONOR STUDENTS, HONORED TEACHERS.

The Princess Grace Foundation--USA, chaired by John F. Lehman, is named in memory of Prince Albert's mother, Princess Grace of Monaco, who was deeply committed to helping young artists throughout her lifetime. The foundation, established in 1964 in Monaco and in 1982 in the United States, began granting awards in 1984 to aspiring talent in theater, dance, and film through scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships. The foundation has given a total of $1.7 million to more than two hundred fifty artists.

The 1998 PGF awards were presented at the Starlight Roof of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in the presence of Crown Prince Albert of Monaco. Maria Tallchief presented the dance awards to Gillian Murphy, providing a fellowship for her work with American Ballet Theatre; a fellowship for Yin Le of the Houston Ballet; a scholarship for Mafia Bystrova of the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. (she also won the William Como Dance Magazine Scholarship at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson in 1998); a scholarship for Philip Colucci of the Juilliard School; and a fellowship in modern dance for Jennifer DePalo of the Martha Graham Dance Company. Awards were also presented in the categories of film and theater. The royal family's support of dance began when they provided Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with rehearsal periods and several seasons in Monaco in 1911. By 1923, Diaghilev had signed a contract with the principality for his company to become the official ballet of the Monte Carlo Opera and had changed its name to Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo. Legendary dancers, such as Pavlova, Nijinksy, and Karsavina, appreared during those seasons, and masterpieces of choreography by Fokine and Balanchine were created in the sunlit rehearsal room. All is recorded in the Monte Carlo Theater's unique library.

Candidates for PGF dance awards are submitted and sponsored by their school or company. For further information, contact Toby Boshak, The Princess Grace Foundation--USA, 150 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10155, [phone]; fax [phone].

Woytek Lowski in his book, The Art of Teaching Classical Ballet, passes along his extraordinary expertise in all aspects of teaching classical ballet. He gives eighty helpful, often humorous, tips on technique and performance.

Lowski studied at the Warsaw Ballet School and at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. He won the silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in 1964 and performed with Maurice Bejart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century from 1966-71 and as premier danseur with the Boston Ballet from 1973-79.

Lowski served as ballet master for American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet of Flanders, and English National Ballet. Among the outstanding international dancers who studied with this master teacher were Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, Gelsey Kirkland, Anthony Dowell, and Sylvie Guillem.

The book ($24.95) is available from Princeton Book Company, P.O. Box 831, Hightstown, NJ 08520, [phone]; fax [phone].

The James B. Pendleton Modern Dance Program of the Spotlight Awards, has been established at the Music Center of Los Angeles County as the result of a grant of $350,000 from the James B. Pendleton Foundation. The grant, the first endowment secured for the performing arts category of the Music Center's Spotlight Awards program, will help talented young dancers achieve their potential in a nurturing and supportive environment.

Pendleton, an aficianado of modern dance, an interior designer, and a former dancer, who passed away in 1995, wanted to help young performers fulfill their dreams.

His grant will provide support for all phases of a three-month-long audition process each fall. Auditionees selected as semifinalists will be given the opportunity to train in master classes. Winners will receive $5,000; runners-up $2,500. The awards will culminate in a gala showcase performance in April at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

For further information, contact Barbara Haig, Spotlight Awards, Music Center of Los Angeles County, 717 W. Temple Street, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90012, [phone]; fax [phone].

Claude Bessy, director of the Paris Opera Ballet School, and Gilbert Mayer, master POBS teacher, will be the instructors for two weeks of the Vail International Dance Festival summer workshop, July 18 to August 15, as part of its World Master's program. Students aged fourteen to nineteen must audition for classes. An additional two weeks of the program will be taught by Pytor Pestov, formerly with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy of Moscow, now with the Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko School.

VIDF producing director Katherine Kersten says, "With the Paris Opera Ballet School producing so many great dancers, we feel this is a unique opportunity for ambitious preprofessional students to study with these renowned teachers."

For students aged eleven to fourteen, the Vail workshop, June 14-June 26, will have as master teacher, Michael Ho of the Royal Academy of Dance in London.

In addition, the festival will include the Paul Mitchell International Evenings of Dance (August 13 and 14) with stars from the major companies throughout the world; the Ensemble series; a student program (August 15); and the International Ballet Teachers Conference incorporated into the World Master's Program.

There's still time to audition for the workshops in March. Students must bring a letter of recommendation from a teacher, a photo of themselves in First Arabesque, pointe shoes, and $15 audition fee. For information, contact Christina DiJulio, Registrar, Vail Valley Foundation, [phone]; fax [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail]; Web site: www.vail.net/vvf.

Kindly send Teacher Talk submissions a minimum of eight weeks prior to the event to Dance Magazine, 33 W. 60th St., New York, NY 10023.