JACKSON, Miss., June 22, 2018 – Following two weeks of intense, world-class competition, 18 dancers from eight nations were selected as 2018 USA International Ballet Competition medalists and award recipients.
Senior Division Medalists are:
Men’s Senior Gold Medalist – Sicong Wu, China
Women’s Senior Gold Medalist – Yunting Qiu, China
Men’s Senior Silver Medalist – Sangmin Lee, Republic of Korea
Women’s Senior Silver Medalist – Soobin Lee, Republic of Korea
Women’s Senior Silver Medalist – Katherine Barkman, USA
Men’s Senior Bronze Medalist – David Schrenk, USA
Women’s Senior Bronze Medalist – Chisako Oga, USA
Best Senior Couple – Soobin Lee & Sangmin Lee, Republic of Korea
Junior Division Medalists are:
Men’s Junior Gold Medalist – No gold awarded
Women’s Junior Gold Medalist – Elisabeth Beyer, USA
Men’s Junior Silver Medalist – Hyuma Kiyosawa, Japan
Women’s Junior Silver Medalist – Julia Rust, USA
Women’s Junior Silver Medalist – Carolyne Galvao, Brazil
Men’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Harold Mendez, USA
Men’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Joseph Markey, USA
Women’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Tia Wenkman, USA
Women’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Rheya Shano, USA
Special Awards included:
Robert Joffrey Award of Merit – Mya Kresnyak, Canada
Jury Award of Encouragement – Veronica Atienza, Philippines
Jury Award of Encouragement – Nicole Klaudine Barroso, Philippines
Jury Award of Encouragement – Razmik Marukyan, Armenia
Choreography Award – Zhang Disha for “Sad Birds,” performed by Sicong Wu & Yunting Qiu
Choreography Award – Fei Bo for “Permanent Yesterday,” performed by Sicong Wu & Yunting Qiu
For videos of classical performances from 2018 and previous USA IBCs, download order form here.
The USA IBC is a two-week, “Olympic”-style competition where tomorrow’s stars vie for gold, silver and bronze medals; cash awards; company contracts; and scholarships. The event is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, the USA IBC is held every four years in Jackson, Mississippi. For more information about USA IBC, visit www.usaibc.com or www.facebook.com/usaibc.