Eleanor Broughton, a high school junior, is accepted to the Prix de Lausanne

Eleanor Broughton of Winston-Salem, a high school junior, has been accepted to the Prix de Lausanne 2021, the prestigious international ballet competition taking place Jan. 31 through Feb. 7, 2021, in Montreux, Switzerland. She is one of only 11 dancers from the United States out of a total of 82 from around the world who will compete. She is also the sixth competitor chosen during the past seven years from the UNCSA School of Dance ballet program.

“Eleanor continues a proud tradition of the School of Dance sending students to the highly competitive Prix de Lausanne,” said Interim Dean of Dance Jared Redick. “She has excelled in both our Preparatory Dance Program and now as a student in our high school ballet program. We’re very proud of Eleanor, and we know this experience will help her to grow and flourish as an artist.”

Broughton will dance the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in this year’s cinematic reimagining of “The Nutcracker,” which has its world premiere on Saturday, Dec. 12. She began her ballet training at the age of three at Academy of Dance Arts and then trained in UNCSA’s Preparatory Dance Program for six years. Since enrolling in the School of Dance in 2018, she has performed in “The Nutcracker” as Clara, a Flower and a Mirliton. In Winter Dance 2020, she danced Princess Florine in the Blue Bird Pas de Deux of “Sleeping Beauty.”

Faculty member Eva Draw coached Broughton for the competition, with additional coaching by Redick. Draw will accompany Broughton to Switzerland if allowed by COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Prix de Lausanne organization expects to announce on Dec. 3 if the competition will be held.

Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is an annual international competition for young dancers aged 14 to 19. Its goal is to discover, promote and support the finest talents. Sixty-eight of the world’s most prestigious dance schools and companies, such as the Royal Ballet in London, the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, the San Francisco Ballet School and the Australian Ballet, are associated with the Prix de Lausanne and support its activities. One of a kind, the Prix de Lausanne represents an exceptional platform for discovering youthful talent. It is open to dance professionals who can observe and establish contacts with the candidates, thereby transforming Montreux into the world’s capital for young dancers during the week of the competition. (The competition is temporarily in Montreux because of renovations to the home theater in Lausanne.)

Recent competitors from UNCSA have included Evelyn Robinson in 2020, Eric Kim in 2019, Daniela Thorne in 2018, Bret Coppa in 2017, and Sierra Armstrong in 2015. In 1985, Edward Stierle won a gold medal at the competition while he was a UNCSA high school student.

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