The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has announced the guest performances for The Fonteyn 2025 competition final which takes place at Auditório Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday 19 October 2025.
The two performances will celebrate and showcase Brazilian ballet. Dalal Achcar Ballet Company dancers Gabriela Sisto and Fernando Mendonça will perform the pas de deux, ‘Melodia Sentimental’ from Floresta Amazônica. Isabella Gasparini (First Soloist at The Royal Ballet) and Yoshi Suzuki (Soloist with São Paulo Dance Company) will perform the ‘White Swan’ pas de deux from Swan Lake Act II.
Swan Lake was first performed by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877. It tells the story of Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with Odette, a princess cursed by the sorcerer Rothbart to live as a swan by day. The White Swan pas de deux, between Odette and Siegfried, is where Prince Siegfried comes upon Odette by a moonlit lake. This famous duet shows Odette’s initial fear of the prince disappear as he promises his undying love to break her curse.
“Swan Lake embodies everything that makes ballet unforgettable: beauty, passion, and a story that continues to move audiences around the world… This masterpiece remains the most iconic and irresistible of all ballets,” says Isabella Gasparini.
The enchanting Floresta Amazônica was originally choreographed by Dalal Achcar in 1975. An ode to the Amazon, Floresta Amazônica made its debut at Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, starring British ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn DBE and ballet dancer David Wall. It returned to the stage several times over the years and opened the 2000 season of the Ballet of Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro. Floresta Amazônica now celebrates its 50th year, as well as marking 65 years since the composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’s death, whose symphony of the same name inspired Dalal Achcar’s choreography.
The Fonteyn 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. Young dancers from around the world come together for a week of dance, to win competition prizes and scholarships. A launch pad for a professional career, past winners have become professional dancers with companies worldwide and enjoyed long-lasting careers in the arts.
As well as the semi-finals and finals, audiences can enjoy wrap around events during the week including Ana Maria Botafogo delivering a coaching session with Fonteyn ambassador Isabella Gasparini, and events spotlighting the RAD’s world-leading examinations syllabus.
This year’s Fonteyn takes place 11-19 October, with Semi-finals 16-17 October and final on 19 October. For more information and to book your tickets visit: The Fonteyn | Tickets
