Who's out there? Four competitors who did Paris and New York.

PHILIP DEAL

"This is my first time out of America, and this is my first international competition." For American Philip Deal, age 16, dancing in the Paris International Ballet Competition was "incredible." Philip, who is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, currently studies in Washington, D.C., at the Kirov Academy of Ballet.

Competition is not new for Philip, who started out at dance conventions in the U.S. "I started dance very young at a little ballet school in Virginia Beach," he says. "I then graduated to a bigger dance school so that I could do the convention circuit. I've done a lot of those competitions, and I decided it was time to try something else.

"I thought that [Paris] would be a good competition to start out with, because I love contemporary dance. Of course I want to be a classical dancer, but I have been studying contemporary dance for a long time and I felt more comfortable with it."

The Paris competition requires the dancers to bring at least two prepared solos as well as to learn a solo choreographed for the competition. "I have two choreographers. One is Oleg Vinogradov, who is the artistic director of the Kirov Ballet, and the other one is Mia Michaels, who has worked with the Joffrey and has done a lot of Broadway. It's funny--we met at Dance Educators of America in Las Vegas when I danced for her in a workshop, and she just screamed across the room, `I love you!' So we had to work together."

Ebullient and outgoing, Philip had no trouble befriending the other competitors in Paris. "I think they think I'm a little crazy because when I first walked in I just yelled out, `Hi! I'm from Virginia!' I've made lots of friends since I've been here. Actually, I know most everybody."

Philip hopes for a future in ballet. "I would love to dance with a ballet company, hopefully a very famous one, very prestigious. "

LAURENT CODERCH

Laurent Coderch, winner of the Prix de la Florence J. Gould Foundation at the Paris International Ballet Competition, was born in the south of France, but notes, "I also have some Spanish origins." His early study was at Rosella Hightower's school in Cannes, where he studied ballet and contemporary dance, as well as acting and music. His first professional opportunity, with Jeune Ballet de France, took him all over the world: in one year he performed in Venezuela, Cuba, Norway, and Malaysia.

For the past two years, Laurent, age 21, has danced with Compagnie Philippe Trehet, based in the city of Le Havre on the Atlantic coast of France. In the Paris competition he danced solos choreographed by Trehet. "It's very special, what [Trehet] is doing," says Laurent. "It's not as neoclassical as what the other competitors are doing." In his solos, he relied on both a clarity of line--acquired through his classical training--and the ability to contort his line for dramatic effect.

Despite his admiration for Trehet, Laurent, who has also danced as a guest artist in Switzerland with the companies of Antonio Gomes, Andre Meyer, Philippe Saire, and Fabienne Abramovich, has decided to try something new. "I have signed a contract with a new company, which is a bigger company, in Caen. In France there are nine companies of contemporary dance for which the money comes from the government. This is one of the nine, called Centre Choregraphique de Caen, and the choreographer is Karine Saporta."

He enjoyed the Paris concours. "The competition is a good experience. I think that I've grown up a little and I feel like I am more mature."

TATIANA JOURAVEL

"It is almost like being in a little company for a month, says Tatiana, of the New York International Ballet Competition. "It's not all competition. It's fun, but professional fun. I like it very much." Tatiana Jouravel, age 23, is currently a corps de ballet dancer with Boston Ballet.

At age ten, Tatiana left her home and family in a small town in Ukraine to study both dance and academics at the Kiev Ballet school. "I had a teacher from the Kirov Ballet, so she was very Vaganova," says Tatiana. "In school we didn't study Balanchine, and we didn't study modern or jazz; it was completely classical. We did have classes in character dance."

In 1991, before her final year of school, she came to the United States for a summer program at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Lee, Massachusetts. "We were with great American dancers," says Tatiana, "and we were just young students." After completing her final year of school in Kiev, she came back to the Pillow for a second summer. From there she was hired by Hartford Ballet, where she spent a year as an apprentice and a year as a corps de ballet member.

For the first time, Tatiana was introduced to the choreography of George Balanchine. "The first couple of months, I couldn't do a thing," says Tatiana. "It's different. It's so much work on pointe, starting at the barre. For the first couple of months, I had a really hard time, but I had some great coaches." After two years with Hartford, she joined Boston Ballet. Tatiana's face lights up when talking about her new employer: "I think it's a great company," she says, "and I think Boston looks a little bit European."

The New York International Ballet competition was Tatiana's first experience as a competitor. "My partner found me in Boston through his wife, who has a friend in Boston Ballet. We met, I sent the application, we got accepted, and then we learned the solos very quickly. The classes are great, and in rehearsals we have wonderful coaches for our solos from Sleeping Beauty, Raymonda, and Who Cares? There are so many things to take and to learn from the other dancers. And just being in New York is so exciting. It's huge! We've been to New York City Ballet, we've seen Cats, and today we are going to ABT."

Tatiana's ambitions lie within Boston Ballet. "One day I would really like to be a soloist," she says. "I really want to move on." She also wants to stay in the United States. "I have a visa which Boston Ballet extends every year. Eventually I would like very much to become an American. I hope for that."

GUSTAVO VEIGA with translation by Alexsandra Carla Guedes

Gustavo Veiga, currently a dancer with Stuttgart Ballet, is Brazilian. He started his studies at the school of the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro and later danced with the company. "I stayed there for six years," says Gustavo, "then I joined a contemporary company, Ballet of the City of Niteroi."

Gustavo went on a dance excursion through Europe with a teacher from Brazil and fell in love with Stuttgart Ballet. "We know a lot about Stuttgart Ballet in Brazil," says Gustavo, "and we have a lot of friends dancing there." He attended an open audition and was accepted into the company. "One of my dreams was to get into Stuttgart," says Gustavo, "and now it's starting. I hope to dance a lot, and also to guest with different companies.

"I met Alessandra in Vienna when I was on vacation, and she invited me to this competition." Alessandra Carla Guedes, Gustavo's partner in the New York competition and a fellow Brazilian, dances for the Vienna State Opera. Both have learned to speak German.

Is it difficult for them to be so far from their home and family in Brazil? "For me, it's hard," says Alessandra. "For him, it is no problem." Adds Gustavo, "Everything is different but I don't mind. For me, in Europe, there are a lot of open doors, and that's where I want to be."

Although he states emphatically that he prefers classical dance, Gustavo welcomes Stuttgart's mixed repertory. "Because it's not a very big company, and there are a lot of modern and contemporary choreographers, I will also get to experience other kinds of dance, and that's good for me."

The New York ballet competition, Gustavo's first, gave him the opportunity to challenge himself and to meet other dancers and choreographers. "I am learning a lot," says Gustavo, "because there are a lot of good dancers. I had hoped that this competition would help me, that I could really work and learn. And I have."