The USA IBC: Selection Committee is responsible for reviewing over 330 applications and selecting the top talent to be presented at the XII USA International Ballet Competition. The Selection Committee will convene March 2-5, in Jackson, Mississippi. See below to learn more about the talented professionals who will have a hand in selecting the 2023 competitors.
Ravenna Tucker-Wagnon
Malaysian-born Ravenna Tucker began dance in Hong Kong under Paula Lau, then trained at the Royal Ballet Upper School. In 1978 she won the gold in the Genée International Ballet Competition, and the French Foundation Prize at the Prix de Lausanne in 1979. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1979, and in 1984 was named “Dancer of the Year” by Dance and Dancers magazine.
As principal dancer with The Royal Ballet from 1985, she danced in the ballets as choreographed by Dame Ninette de Valois, Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Sir Anthony Dowell, Sir Peter Wright, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, David Bintley CBE, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Glen Tetley, and Jiri Kylian, such title roles including Aurora, Odette/Odile, Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Nikiya. In 1990 she joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet, where her roles included Lise, Snow Queen, Swanhilda, and Sylvia. She has been a character artist with Singapore Dance Theatre, performed with Ecnad Project Ltd., and for International Dance Day 2001 in Manila.
Tucker has served as a founding member of the Dance Association (Singapore)/World Dance Alliance (Singapore chapter), and Singapore Dance Theatre Artistic Committee. She has juried in Hong Kong and UK, guest taught at the Alabama Dance Festival, Ballet Arkansas Summer Intensives, Cecchetti Council of America Summer Intensive, and the American College Dance Association. She has been an evaluator in past USA International Ballet Competitions. She authored two articles for two books entitled Dancing Across Borders: Perspectives on Dance, Young People and Change, and Dance On! Dancing Through Life, published by Routledge. She completed the Royal Ballet School’s Teachers’ Course for Professional Dancers, was certified in R.A.D., C.S.T.D. (Australia), BASI Pilates, and holds a Masters of Creative Industries from Queensland University of Technology in Australia. She taught at LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts (Singapore) and is presently Professor of Dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. She is married to architect Stan Wagnon.
Joseph Phillips
Touted as the “golden boy of ballet” for winning more gold medals from prestigious international ballet competitions than any other male American danseur, his numerous awards include top honors from the 2008 Seoul International Competition, the 2002 USA International Ballet Competition, the 2002 Prague International Ballet Competition, the 2002 Youth America Grand Prix Finals, and the 2002 Youth America Grand Prix Regional competitions. He was a laureate of Les Etoiles de Ballet 2000 Critic’s Award in both Cannes and Paris in 2017. He lit the flame at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 and 2014 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS.
Joseph became one of a handful of American dancers to ever become a principal dancer in Russia at the Mariinsky Theatre, Primorsky Stage in 2013. Previously he performed leading roles with companies including American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.
Joseph joined Ballet Manila as an artist in residents in 2018, making the Philippines his Asian base as he continues to travel the world as a highly esteemed international guest artist.
Among his notable classical roles are those of Basilo in Don Quixote, the Prince in The Nutcracker, Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Ali, and Conrad in Le Corsaire, Franz in Coppelia, and Prince Desire and the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty. He has performed leading roles in contemporary work by William Forsythe, Kenneth MacMillan, Alexei Ratmansky, Twyla Tharp, and Paul Taylor, among others.
Joseph is currently working at Ballet Philippines as a resident choreographer and is also Ballet Master-in-Chief at Westlake School for the Performing Arts in Daly City, California.