The IBCDC Domenico Modugno International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition was held for the twelfth time in and around Lecce, a city in southern Italy. Three sixth-year students from the Hungarian Dance University (HDU) participated in the event.
The aim of the event is to provide young dancers with an opportunity for international exposure and networking. In previous years in Lecce, students of HDU achieved excellent results, and master teacher Mónika Barna maintains a strong relationship with the organizers as she has been a jury member of this prestigious event for many years.
The 12th International Ballet and Contemporary Dance Competition “Domenico Modugno” is named after a true legend of Puglia (Apulia). Domenico Modugno was the first Italian singer-songwriter and actor to gain worldwide recognition, and he later became a member of the Italian Parliament.
He is best known for his 1958 international hit Nel blu dipinto di blu (“In the Blue Painted Blue”), for which he received the first Grammy Awards in the categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song remains widely known to this day and is considered one of the most iconic expressions of the “Italian national spirit.”
The 6th-year students were prepared and accompanied to the competition by master teacher Mónika Barna.
- At the event, Lilla Medgyesi won 3rd prize with the Medora variation from Le Corsaire.
- Jázmin Balogh placed among the top five with the female variation from Diana and Actaeon.
- Barka Benedek received a scholarship to the Barcelona Dance Project with Noémi Kulcsár’s choreography Mystery Tales.
Unfortunately, Barka was injured during a ballet workshop before the competition, so she was unable to perform the classical variation. However, she showed great determination and performed admirably in the contemporary category.
All three HDU students were awarded scholarships to summer courses in Barcelona and Bucharest, as was Kitti Hajszán with the choreography Libertá.
Congratulations to the students and their teachers!
