Madison Bevilacqua, a sophomore at Hilton High School, put on her first ballet shoes at age three. Since then she has competed with dancers from around the country and around the world in the Youth America Grand Prix, American Dance Competition/Youth International Ballet Competition, New York City Dance Alliance as well as several local competitions. Where is she headed next? At the end of January, Madison will travel to Switzerland to compete in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne.
“It has always been a dream of mine to participate in this competition and dance with some of the best ballet dancers in the world,” said Madison. Her audition video, which focused on her ballet technique and a contemporary variation solo, was selected by a jury of nine professional dancers from among 429 applicants in 39 countries. A total of 76 dancers, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old, were selected to compete in the Prix de Lausanne.
“It is so exciting and such an honor to have been selected for this amazing opportunity,” said Madison. “I feel that since I am at such a young age in the competition, it makes this a better learning experience because I get to learn from other dancers my age and older and also learn from incredible teachers.”
Madison currently trains at the Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester. This past summer, she also received a scholarship to attend a ballet program at Ellison Ballet in New York City.
To prepare for the competition, which runs from January 29 through February 5, Madison will practice a classical and a contemporary variation selected from a provided list. She will travel to Lausanne, Switzerland, with her mom, Charlene, and dance teacher, Jamey Leverett.
“I love ballet because there is always an opportunity to keep learning and growing as a dancer,” said Madison. “I love dancing on stage and connecting with an audience by telling a story through my dancing.”
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