South Korea Wins Most Prizes at Sara-Nora Prima International Ballet Competition 2024

Dimitrina Solakova, Maya Stefanova

Gala concert of the winners of the 2nd Sara-Nora Prima International Ballet Competition at Burgas State Opera, Burgas, on the Black Sea, July 6, 2024 (BTA Photo/Hristo Stefanov)

Burgas, on the Black Sea,

07.07.2024 08:50

(BTA)

The second edition of the Sara-Nora Prima International Ballet Competition was officially closed with an award ceremony and gala concert of the winners at State Opera Burgas on Saturday evening. Five ballet dancers from the Republic of Korea won prizes in the top age category for professionals aged between 17 and 26. The Grand Prix for exceptional performance of BNG 10,000 plus a tour at the Sofia Opera Ballet and an award from Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, USA, went to from South Korea's Jeongwoo Mun.

Presenting the Grand Prix, caretaker Culture Minister Nayden Todorov said that ballet is the most beautiful performing art but also one of the hardest professions ever. At the opening of the evening, he said Bulgaria has always been a force in ballet art, and the Sara-Nora Prima competition is yet another diamond in the crown of Burgas.

The first prize in the top age category worth BGN 5,000 went to Seoyeon Hong from South Korea, who also won a tour at Sofia Opera and Ballet by Prima Ballerina Marta Petkova and an opportunity to open the next edition of the Sara-Nora Prima International Ballet Competition with a whole performance in Burgas. In the men's competition, the prize went to Seojun Kim, who also won a tour at Stara Zagora State Opera and Ballet by Prima Ballerina Silviya Tomova.

In the same age category for women, the second prize of BNG 3,000 went to Bulgaria's Anastasiya Popova. The third prize worth BGN 2,000 was shared between South Korean ballerinas Sungmin Kim and Yujin Han. In the men's competition, the second prize went to Japan's Shinichiro Ebe and the third prize was shared between Angel Giraldes Varela from Spain and Minsu Ha from South Korea.

In the 13-16 age category, there were prizes for Lora Ilova, Hristian Gichev, and Riana Milotinova from Bulgaria. Bulgarian ballerina Anna Gicheva topped the ranking and received the Prima Ballerina Milena Simeonova Prize along with a painting.

In the 9-12 age category, there were prizes for Donika Manoilova, Alexandra Yaneva, and Magdalena Zlateva who won a tour in a show of Masha Ilieva Ballet School at Sofia Opera and Ballet as well as a scholarship for studies at the Kafantari Ballet School in Thessaloniki, Greece. Presenting the awards, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said: "At the Bulgarian News Agency, as well as all journalists, we express ourselves with words. That is why we look with admiration at the ballet artists who manage to speak without uttering a single word - just with movement. And with the very first movements, they manage to show us how, after a storm and a hurricane, the ship of the corsairs sails with its sails blown out towards the east coast. So where to, if not to the Bulgarian east coast should the ship sail with all those who want to reach the shore of success in world ballet?!"

In a Facebook post about the competition, Valchev added: "It was on the east coast of Bulgaria exactly 60 years ago, in 1964, that the International Ballet Competition in Varna began, whose glorious tradition continues in Burgas. The BTA archives preserve the answer of the correspondent of Bulgaria's national news agency to the deputy chair of the jury, Arnold Haskell, director of the Royal Ballet School and head of the Royal Ballet in London, which we can repeat six decades later for this ballet competition: 'The average level of the competition that has just ended was very high, and the individual to achievements simply exceptional. Your competition has a very great international significance and will quite rightly become a wonderful international tradition.'"

Valchev wrote further that also to remain in the BTA archive from today is an interview taken by a correspondent in Burgas with Prima Ballerina and Artistic Director of the Ballet of the National Opera and Ballet Marta Petkova. Despite being on the jury, she said that ballet is not a race but art that connects the artist with the audience, Valchev noted. He wished the winners to develop their talent with a lot of work. "Work which I remember was put by the person who inspired this competition, Sara-Nora, the girl next door who rarely played with us in the yard because she was rehearsing to fulfill her dream of becoming a prima ballerina," he wrote.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said it was an honour and a privilege for Burgas to host this exceptional competition, and Burgas Municipality is now applying to host its third edition. Nikolov presented Ivanina Ivanova with the award of Burgas for the most outstanding local participant, which is worth BGN 1,000.

Among the official guests was Cho Ji Yi, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bulgaria, who awarded Professor Seon-Hee Jang, member of the jury, for her fruitful work in the field of ballet.

The second edition of the only currently held ballet competition for professionals in Bulgaria took place at State Opera Burgas between July 1 and 6. The Bulgarian News Agency was media partner of the event.

/DS/