USA International Ballet finalists named. See who made this week's final rounds

Ed Inman
Updated ·2 min read

The original 99 dancers competing in the 12th USA International Ballet Competition have now been reduced to 29 finalists Jury Chairman John Meehan and Co-Chair Lauren Anderson announced Sunday.

The jurors were joined by USA IBC Executive Director Mona Nicholas who said, ”It has been every exciting … I know it has been a hard decision.”

The 29 finalists were chosen from a field of approximately 50 semi-finalists who competed in the contemporary round of performances that ended Saturday night.

Round 3, which is the final round, will include both contemporary and classical pieces. It began Monday, June 19, and will continue through Wednesday, June 21. Each of the finalists chosen for Round 3 will receive a $1,500 travel stipend awarded through the Peggy Mize Fund of the Community Foundation from Mississippi.

Performances each night will be at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall, 255 E. Pascagoula St., culminating with an Awards Gala on Friday, June 23, and the C Spire Encore Gala on Saturday, June 24.

Meehan, who is attending his fifth USA IBC in Jackson, said, “The level of this competition is extremely high.” He described it “as good as if not better” than any other competition he has attended. “Round 3 is going to be remarkable,” he said.

Yunju Lee and Taehyeon Lee of the Republic of Korea compete in the Senior Division during Round 2, Session 1 of the USA International Ballet Competition at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson Miss., Thursday, June 15, 2023.
Yunju Lee and Taehyeon Lee of the Republic of Korea compete in the Senior Division during Round 2, Session 1 of the USA International Ballet Competition at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson Miss., Thursday, June 15, 2023.

To make it to the final round, Meehan said the dancers are judged on “artistry, technique and physicality.” Each juror tallies points on a given performance on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest. The dancers with the overall highest scores are the ones to advance, Meehan explained.

The jurors represent eight different countries this year: Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Named as the finalists for Round 3 are the following dancers from 7 countries:

Junior Female:

  • No. 3 Isabella Howard, United States

  • No. 12 Mengxuan Yan, China

  • No. 18 Kallie Green, United States

  • No. 19 Isabella Meier, United States

  • No. 24 Kennedy Kahler, United States

  • No. 28 Julie Joyner, United States

Junior Men:

  • No. 35 Corbin Holloway, United States

  • No. 37 Alexie Orohovosky, United States

  • No. 38 Zihan Kong, China

  • No. 39 Parker Razzano-Keefe, United States

  • No. 43 Kangwon Lee, Republic of Korea

  • No. 44 Pavel Kulev, United States

  • No. 46 Zander Magoinick, United States

  • No. 49 Leonidas Adarmes, United States

Senior Women:

  • No. 51 Yunju Lee, Republic of Korea

  • No. 57 Minjoo Kim, Republic of Korea

  • No. 60 Rieko Hatato, Japan

  • No. 64 Hyunseo Kim, Republic of Korea

  • No. 68 Larissa Luna, Brazil

  • No. 71 Sayako Toku, Japan

  • No. 77 Xinyue Zhao, China

Senior Men:

  • No. 80 Seyong Kim, Republic of Korea

  • No. 93 John Abenanty, United States

  • No. 96 Ryo Sasaki, Japan

  • No. 98 Munkhjin Ulziijargal, Mongolia

  • No. 102 Chongzheng Guan, China

  • No. 104 Nicholas Patterson, United States

  • No. 107 Keita Fujishima, Japan

  • No. 109 Yuvai Cohen, Israel

For tickets or more information visit: www.usaibc.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: USA International Ballet finalists named Jackson MS