Ratmansky, Semionova, Cornejo Win 2014 Benois de la Danse Awards

American Ballet Theatre is having a good day. Each May, the Benois de la Dance Awards recognize an extraordinary choreographer, select male and female dancers and a lifetime achievement recipient in a star-studded gala at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. This year, three of the four awards, from a group of 18 nominees, went to artists from ABT. Principal dancer Polina Semionova won for her performances in Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, Bach Partita and Les Sylphides, while Herman Cornejo received an award for his roles in Swan Lake, The Tempest and Martha Clarke’s Cheri. Royal Swedish Ballet’s Mariko Kida also won for her portrayal of Juliet in Mats Eks’ Juliet and Romeo. Nominees included New York City Ballet principal Ashley Bouder.



Meanwhile, Alexei Ratmansky, ABT’s artist-in-residence, won the choreographic prize for his Shostakovich Trilogy and The Tempest. Longtime Paris Opera director Brigitte Lefèvre also received the Benois Lifetime Achievement Award. The all-female jury (a first for this competition, which chooses a different jury panel each year), included luminaries such as Carla Fracci, Agnés Letestu and Ana Laguna.

Photo: Polina Semionova and Marcelo Gomes in Alexei Ratmansky’s
Symphony No. 9, courtesy ABT