Showcasing a wealth of talent, Norway hosted the international dance competition “World Ballet Grand Prix” (WBGP) over June 30-July 2, 2024. The Imperial Russian Academy Vania Vrondi, Limassol, achieved the highest competition awards: ballerinas returned from the Grand Prix with amazing results – five gold, eight silver, six bronze medals and three Jury Encouragement awards.
The owner of the Academy should be very proud of her hard-working dancers, who secured top prizes at the WBGP. Academy students won the following awards: Pava Vojinovic (16 years old) and Alexandra Pazenko (10) both secured the highest gold medals in classical solo. Pazenko took three more gold medals: in modern solo, classical solo and modern and classical duet with Alina Stolbova (10), making Pazenko the overall champion of the competition with six medals in total, including the two silver medals for the group dances. Vojinovic and Sofia Petukhova (14) secured silver in the modern solo. Stolbova, Petukhova, Bitterman (12) and Adamenko (12) also won silver medals in the classical solo category. Silver and bronze medals were achieved by a total of 11 female students of the Academy who went to Norway in different age categories in classical and modern solos, classical duets and group dances, competing against other participants from different countries.
This was the second year that the Academy was taking part in the competition. In 2023, the girls returned from Norway with nine medals in total: one gold, five silver and three bronze. In addition to the medals, the contestants also received scholarships to attend the World Ballet Competition in New York, the Summer Intensive Joffrey Ballet School in New York, and the Summer Intensive in Norway.
Vanias Vrondi’s Imperial Russian Academy has been guiding and educating children and adults in the wonderful world of ballet for the past 26 years. The Academy follows the Vaganova system and the school programme of the Moscow State Choreography Academy. The Academy has achieved a high reputation for superior quality of teaching and artistic training, leading students to top results in international dance competitions and professional ballet careers. Former ballet students of the Imperial Russian Academy are now artists and soloists of famous ballet companies.
