Festivals & events
Prix de Lausanne
- Type
- International dance competition
- Address
- Théâtre et Halle de Beaulieu, Lausanne
Not open to visitors
Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne reveals each January the greatest hopes of world ballet, aged 15 to 18. Maurice Béjart helped write its rules; the competition is today an international institution.
The Prix de Lausanne, the Oscars of dance
The Oscars of dance
Created on 19 January 1973, the Prix de Lausanne takes place every year, in January or February, at the Palais de Beaulieu. Reserved for young dancers aged 15 to 18 with no professional experience and open to all nationalities, it offers finalists scholarships to the most prestigious ballet schools. It is nicknamed “the best ballet competition in the world”, “the Super Bowl of the ballet world” or “the Oscars of dance”.
From a Cannes poolside to Lausanne
It all began not by Lake Geneva, but by a poolside in Cannes, in spring 1972: Philippe Braunschweig, his wife Elvire and the star dancer Rosella Hightower caught fire at the idea of supporting young dancers from small schools. With Rosella Hightower and Maurice Béjart, who shaped its rules, they launched the competition in 1973. What was once a small event became a worldwide institution, even opening an office in Japan.
A springboard, and a Montreux stopover
The Prix has launched immense careers: Alessandra Ferri, Carlos Acosta, Benjamin Millepied, Alina Cojocaru and Steven McRae are among its laureates. In 2020, because of works at the Palais de Beaulieu, the competition was held at the Auditorium Stravinski in Montreux, broadcast on Arte Concert. In 2023 it celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a festive return to Beaulieu and a gala bringing together former laureates.
Related artists :Maurice Béjart