Rising SA ballet stars win life-changing New York scholarships

Two young South African dancers have won the top honours at the inaugural American Academy of Ballet (AAB) Performance Awards Competition, held last Saturday at the Roodepoort Theatre.

The American Academy of Ballet, a New York-based organisation established by South African ballet pioneer Mignon Furman, announced the winners of the Grand Prize in both the junior and senior divisions of the South African competition.

According to the AAB: “The American Academy of Ballet (AAB) is delighted to announce the two winners of the Grand Prize (junior and senior division) of the inaugural South African Performance Awards Competition that was held last Saturday at the Roodepoort Theatre.”

The Performance Awards programme is an international system that allows dancers to perform choreographed routines before a judge and receive a certificate and medal, creating what the organisation describes as “a focused, supportive environment.” Saturday’s competition began with an open class conducted on stage by Robin van Wyk, accompanied by pianist Marlene Watkins, before competitors moved on to set solos from the AAB syllabus.

The event was adjudicated by Durban-based Melissa Jane Williams. The AAB said, “Ms Williams, a dancer, a certified RAD teacher and herself a Performance Awards achiever from level 4 through to level 12, brought her deep understanding of classical ballet technique and her first-hand knowledge of the AAB syllabus to serve as a judge.”

The prestigious Grand Prize - a full scholarship valued at R85 000 to attend the AAB Summer School of Excellence at Purchase College, State University of New York, in July 2026 - was awarded to two Gauteng dancers. “The winners… are: in the junior section, Matthew Jansen van Vuuren and in the senior section, Maya Weir.”

The prize includes two weeks of free tuition, meals, accommodation and R10 000 towards airfare to New York.

Both winners train at Elite Ballet under the direction of former Pact Ballet and South African Ballet Theatre principal dancer Karen Beukes, who co-founded Joburg Ballet. As their teacher, “Ms Beukes was awarded two weeks free tuition at the 2026 AAB Teachers’ Summer seminar.”

In addition to the top awards, “three scholarships of R4 000 were awarded to Chloe Nortje, trained by Sam Seyfert, Skye Weinzheimer, trained by Brileen White and Abigail Clark, trained by Karen Beukes.”

After the prizegiving, the AAB shared a message from its executive director, Laurence Kaplan, son of the late Mignon Furman. In a video clip, Kaplan “extended the AAB’s heartfelt appreciation to Iain MacDonald for his outstanding leadership and tireless dedication in making the Performance Awards competition such a success.”

The AAB highlighted its longstanding commitment to international ballet training, noting that its Summer School of Excellence draws faculty from major institutions including the Paris Opera Ballet School, the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp and the New York City Ballet, and “includes the former artistic director of Joburg Ballet, Iain Macdonald.”