The 5th International Sergei Diaghilev Competition of Choreographic Art has already gone down in history. On 12 November 2011, 14 finalists from 9 countries presented their choreographies on the stage of the Grand Theater in Łódź. The International Jury led by Olivier Patey awarded the Grand Prix Amber Faun statuette to a gifted Macedonian choreographer – Sasha Evtimova for her spectacle “Give up the Ghost”. The first prize was awarded to a Ukrainian choreographer Serhii Kon for “The Ballad about Friend”. The Jury of expert journalists awarded the Honorary Prize (in the form of a diploma) ex aequo to Dmitry Zalessky, a choreographer from Belarus, for “Nothing in Common” and to a Ukrainian choreographer Serhij Kon for “The Ballad about Friend”. The Sergei Diaghilev International Association for the Promotion of Choreographic Art, the organizer of the Competition, awarded THE FAUN OF EXCELLENCE statuette to a renowned specialist on dance theory Prof. Dr. Alkis Raftis, the President of the International Dance Council CID UNESCO in Paris, for his contributions of bring together dance artists and organizations from all over the world. Standing ovation, which took place on 13 November at the Grand Theater in Łódź, completed the show by the special guest – Kiev Modern Ballet which performed “Carmen. TV” choreographed by Radu Poklitaru. I would like to express one more time my warmest thanks to all the choreographers-finalists and participants of the Competition for the wonderful performances they gave for the Łódź audience. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2012 – may it bring you good health and creativity.

With best wishes,

Alexandr Azarkevitch, Ph.D
Director of the Competition and President of the Association