Written by 
Helsinki, Finland (June 7, 2012)—Candice Adea, Ballet Philippines’ principal dancer, won First Prize, Senior Women’s Division at the recently concluded Helsinki International Ballet Competition, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. The competition drew 69 dancers from 28 countries, including USA, China, Japan, Finland, Canada, Italy and Cuba, among others.
Her partner, Jean Marc Cordero, also a principal dancer of Ballet Philippines, was a semi-finalist in the Male Seniors Division. He won a Special Jury Award for Best in Pas de Deux Technique (partnering).
Adea’s win caps her illustrious career—in 2010 she won the Silver Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MI, touted as the Olympics of ballet. In 2011, she won special awards at the Boston International Ballet Competition (the Maris Liepa Award for Artistry) and the Third Prize at the Seoul International Dance Competition. With Cordero, she also won the Lead Role in a Russian Ballet Performance in Boston.
Adea is the first Filipino to be awarded First Prize in a top tier international ballet competition (composed of competitions in Varna, Bulgaria; Jackson, MI, USA; and Moscow, Russia), and joins the list of Filipino ballet dancers who have received international recognition.
As in all their previous competitions, Victor Ursabia, Ballet Philippines’ ballet master and CCP Dance School Director, stood as the pair’s coach and mentor. Adea and Cordero are completely Philippine trained. Both Adea and Cordero studied at the Philippine High School for the Arts (Adea was a Ballet major, while Cordero was in Theater Arts) and they both graduated with a Bachelor of Performing Arts Major in Dance from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Adea and Cordero’s next performance in the Philippines will be in Ballet Philippines’ Crisostomo Ibarra, where they will reprise their critically acclaimed roles at the last performance with live music, on June 24, 2 pm at the CCP Little Theater. They will also perform in Songs on July 6-8 at the CCP Main Theater, where they will premiere a pas de deux by Augustus Damian III.
For hi-res photos visit http://www.pyrstotahti.com/ballet2012/
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