Maika Watanabe, a 7th year student of the Hungarian Dance University (HDU) won a third place at the 14th NAMUE Ballet Competition in Osaka, Japan.
Maika, who is Angéla Kövessy’s student, prepared for this competition on her own, and is assisted by her Japanese teacher Yoko Fukutani, finished third in the high school category (16-18-year olds).
Yoko Fukutani’s (Japan) and Angéla Kövessy’s (HDU) prepared with two variations for the competition by herself. In the first round our student performed the female solo “Etoile” (Paquita – Act 2), while in the final she performed a variation of “Medora” (The Pirate).
The cover photo shows Maika Watanabe with her certificate she received at the competition, dressed as the Medora variation (Le Corsaire).
The NAMUE Grand Final is open only to those who have previously won prizes in any of the regional NAMUE ballet competitions. The event was held in Osaka with 154 participants. There were a total of 20 participants in the secondary school category.
Congratulations to Maika Watanabe!
