Prix de Lausanne prize winners ‘In Conversation’ with Christopher Powney … (via Zoom)
Prior prize winners Ashley Coupal (ENB) and Harrison Lee (RB) will be ‘in conversation’ with RBS Director and 2023 PdL Jury member, Christopher Powney
On Wednesday 25 January 2023, we shall be holding an ‘In Conversation’ event to coincide with the build-up to the annual Prix de Lausanne competition.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the competition, and amongst the extra celebrations is a ‘‘Gala of the Stars’ at the end of the competition week which includes many principal dancers and prior PdL prize winners familiar to UK ballet audiences.
Christopher Powney, Artistic Director and CEO of the Royal Ballet School, is a member of the prestigious Jury 2023. We are delighted that Chris is available in the few days before the 2023 competition starts, to interview two young dancers who are prior prize winners.
ASHLEY COUPAL, Artist at English National Ballet
Photo credit: Amber Hunt
Ashley Coupal is from Vancouver, BC and began her ballet career at the age of six. Her primary training was with former National Ballet of Canada Principal, Chan Hon Goh at the Goh Ballet Academy. In 2019, Ashley joined Orlando Ballet’s “Trainee” program and in 2020 was promoted to OB’s Second Company. She was mentored by former Royal Ballet principal dancer, Phillip Broomhead and Robert Hill who was a principal dancer with ABT and Royal Ballet.
Ashley is a Prix de Lausanne 2021 Prize Winner and is only the second Canadian woman to win in its 50 year history. Ashley is also a Gold Medalist at the World Ballet Competition (first Canadian to win), a three-time Youth America Grand Prix 1st Place winner in Classical Ballet, a two-time winner of the coveted Prix D'Or Trophy at the Global Dance Challenge, and a medalist at the 2020 Japan Grand Prix Competition held in Tokyo.
Ashley has trained summers at Canada’s National Ballet School, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (ABT), and Orlando Ballet School – all on scholarship. Ashley was also a recipient of ABT’s exclusive “National Training Scholar” program.
Ashley joined English National Ballet for the 2021 season and was a finalist in ENB’s “Emerging Dancer Awards” in her first year with the company.
Photo credit: Gregory Batardon
Australian dancer Harrison Lee joined The Royal Ballet’s Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme from the start of the 2018/19 Season and was promoted to Artist in 2019.
Lee was born in Sydney, Australia and started dancing at the age of eight. He trained at The McDonald College and The Royal Ballet School. He won the Junior Grand Prix Award at the 2014 Youth America Grand Prix and in 2015 Lee won the gold medal and The Prix De Lausanne. He was awarded the Ballet Circle, Dame Ninette Award for the Most Outstanding Male Graduate for 2018. Roles while training included Les Patineurs, Concerto, The Sleeping Beauty at the annual matinees and Swan Lake pas de quatre in the annual matinee and Assemblée Internationale.
With the Company, his featured roles have included Pas de Six (Giselle), Chinese and Russian dance (The Nutcracker), Mandolin Dancer (Romeo and Juliet), Spanish Dance (Swan Lake), Matvei (A Month in the Country), Alex (Like Water for Chocolate), plus corps work in all the repertoire including Anemoi and DGV.
*** This event is FREE to LBC members ***