18-year-old from Donetsk among winners at U.S.A. International Ballet Competition (07/09/06)

18-year-old from Donetsk among winners at U.S.A. International Ballet Competition

JACKSON, Miss. - Denys Cherevychko, 18, of Donetsk, Ukraine, won the silver medal in the junior males division at the U.S.A. International Ballet Competition held here in June.

The U.S.A. IBC is held in the traditions of sister competitions in Moscow, Russia and Varna, Bulgaria, where the first international ballet competition was held in 1964. The first U.S.A. IBC was held in Jackson, Miss. in 1979.

Mr. Cherevychko currently trains and dances with the Ballet Academy of Munich. He received a gold medal at the Kyiv Ballet Competition in 2004 and participated in the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2005.

Also advancing to the final round of the competition, which took place on June 27-29, were Viktor Ishchuk, a principal dancer with the Kyiv National Opera and Ballet Theater, and Zherlin Ndudi of St. Petersburg, Russia, who competed for Ukraine.

In addition to the top prizes, special awards and scholarships were presented to the finalists. Mr. Ndudi was presented the Jury Award of Encouragement for senior men.

The three representatives of Ukraine were among 33 dancers who performed variations from both the classical repertoire and a contemporary work during the third round of the competition.

More than 300 applications to compete in the U.S.A. International Ballet Competition were received from dancers around the world, and a selection committee of three internationally celebrated dance experts invited 121 dancers to participate. During the first round of the competition, the pool of 121 competitors from 27 countries was narrowed down to 48. At the end of the second round, 33 competitors remained.

Designated as the official U.S.A. competition by a joint resolution of Congress, the event is held every four years and showcases the best dance talent the world has to offer.

"It is such an achievement for dancers to progress to the final stages of the competition," said USA IBC Executive Director Sue Lobrano. "This is when dancers come to realize that they've endured the process and the rigor of being among the world's best performers. Even without winning a medal, many competitors have gone on to have impressive tenures with highly acclaimed ballet troupes, holding positions as soloists and principals."

Mr. Ischuk, 23, who competed in the senior males' category, trained at the Kyiv National Academy of Dance. In 2005, he received a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition.

A 19-year-old senior competitor, Mr. Ndudi won second place at the Prix de Lausanne in 2005 and a silver medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition in 2005.

Others who compteted in the International Ballet Competition representing Ukraine were: Yevgen Babachenko, 23, and Andrei Pisarev, 20.

To celebrate the presentation of the U.S.A. IBC honors, the BellSouth Awards Gala was held Saturday, July 1. This event was followed by the Capezio Encore Gala, a concert featuring the medal winners on Sunday, July 2.

"By competing in the U.S.A. IBC, many of these dancers will launch successful careers on the path to fulfilling their dreams," said Bruce Marks, U.S.A. IBC jury chairman. "Whether or not dancers go away with a medal, we truly believe that the process is the prize at the Jackson competition."

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