The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has announced that former leading artist with Ballet Black José Alves will be joining the panel of judges for The Fonteyn 2024. Alves will be judging the competition’s semi-finals that will take place at the RAD’s state-of-the-art Aud Jebsen Studio Theatre at its HQ in London.
Alves joins Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, Alessandra Ferri OMRI, Kevin O’Hare CBE, Dame Monica Mason DBE and Ashley Page OBE to judge The Fonteyn 2024.
Bussell, Ferri and Alves will judge the semi-finals, with O’Hare judging the final at His Majesty’s Theatre only. Mason and Page will judge the Musicality and Choreographic Awards. The Musicality Award is being introduced for the first time in the competition’s history and are supported by the Lynn Wallis Bursary Fund.
Commenting on the news, Alves said, “I’m honoured to be judging The Fonteyn 2024 semi-finals. I can’t wait to see dancers from around the world take to the RAD’s stage to perform at such a wonderful venue and prestigious competition.”
The semi-finals will see candidates take part in a judged class and performing a Classical Repertoire variation. Candidates will also perform a ‘Dancer’s Own’ variation choreographed by themselves, their teacher, or a peer, to a piece of music of their choice. The final will be held at His Majesty’s Theatre, London on 8 September at 7pm. Andrew McNicol will be the commissioned choreographer for The Fonteyn and will choreograph two new variations that will have their world premieres at The Fonteyn final.
The Fonteyn (previously known as The Genée) is one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet competitions in the world, representing the pinnacle of achievement for young dancers trained in the RAD syllabus.
Beginning in 1931, the competition has toured the globe and is dedicated to promoting dance, providing educational experiences and recognising excellence in young ballet dancers internationally. A launch pad for a professional career, past winners of the competition – including Steven McRae and Celine Gittens – have become professional dancers with companies worldwide and enjoyed long-lasting careers in the arts.
Born in Brazil, Alves started ballet at the age of 13 at the Adalgisa Rolim Ballet School. In 2007, he joined the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil and graduated in 2008. Alves joined Ballet Black for the 2012/13 season and was promoted to Senior Artist in 2014. He has danced in original choreography by Javier de Frutos, Will Tuckett, Ludovic Ondiviela and created the roles of Demetrius and Bottom in A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream by Arthur Pita, and The Son in Mark Bruce’s Second Coming.
In 2017, Alves was featured in Ballet Black’s revival of Martin Lawrance’s Captured and created the role of Grandma, danced en pointe, in Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa’s Red Riding Hood. He was also one of the lead dancers in the Ballet Black’s first live stream on World Ballet Day 2017, dancing in the revival of Dopamine (you make my levels go silly) by Ludovic Ondiviela (2013), broadcast by the BBC. In 2018, Alves danced the role of Oberon in A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Arthur Pita) and created the role of Philemon in Cathy Marston’s The Suit, for which he won the 2018 Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Male Classical Dancer. Between 2019 and 2022, Alves danced in new ballets by Sophie Laplane, Mthuthuzeli November, Peter Leung, Will Tuckett, Martin Lawrance and Gregory Maqoma and collaborated with Cassa Pancho and Ballet Black to create Say It Loud, a celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary in 2022.
Tickets for The Fonteyn 2024 will go live for the public on 1st July. To keep updated, head to www.thefonteyn.org.
