Photo: Group Photo of the 2022 VKIBC JURY at the Gala

NEW YORK, NY (SMI-ENTERTAINMENT-ARTS-JUNE 21-24, 2022)-The Valentina Koslova Dance Foundation, a non-profit dance conservatory performance project organization that provides training, scholarships and artistic partnerships to aspiring professional ballet dancers from around the world, concluded its 2022-11th edition " The Valentina Koslova International Ballet Competition " with a sensational gala finale, announcing the classical and contemporary medal winners, and scholarship awardees at the Symphony Space Theater in Manhattan, New York City.

Valentina Kozlova, founder of VKDF and VKIBC was a former professional and Principal Ballet Dancer at the renowned Bolshoi Ballet Company in Russia where she danced all classical performances from 1975- 1979, until she defected to the United States in 1979. While in the US, Kozlova became the principal dancer for the New York City Ballet Company from 1983-1995, dancing as well classical performances with leading roles in works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Eliot Feld, Richard Tanner.

Valentina Kozlova resume expands to an extensive guest appearances with major international ballet companies from Spoleto, La Scala, Florence Opera House, English National Ballet, Paris Opera, Basel Ballet, Australia, Ballet de Santiago (Chile), Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires) and Hong Kong and Ballet galas in Africa, Greece, England, India, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Don des Etoiles in Canada, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

The gala finale of the three day ballet competition opened with a special performance from the founder Valentina Kozlova who enchanted the audience dancing along with
" Et si tu n'existais pas ", and followed by her newly formed Studio Co in Petipa's dances created for Glinka's opera Russian and Lyudmila and contemporary work "Overcome".

In addition to the 2022 contestants dancing performances, former medalists Nikita Boris(Gold), Jillian Schubert (Silver) and Clement Guillaume (Gold ) also performed during the gala and closing-out the 2022- International Ballet Competition with an award ceremony announcing the classical & contemporary medal and prize winners of the competition.

The 2022 VKIBC Prizes and Scholarships Award Winners are:

CANADA

Goh Ballet Academy & Youth Company

1) One-year contract, starting September 2022
- Giovanna Gomes, Brazil
2) $500 scholarship toward Summer Program tuition - Jaslyn Kwan, USA
- Liselotte Van Doorn, Aruba
- Marina Galon Brunetti, Brazil
- Linzi Huang, USA

FRANCE

Charles Jude & la Jude.Mikhalev Ballet Academy, Bordeaux

Three 2-week tuition scholarships between Sep. 2022 and June 2023

- Mary Elsener, USA

- Yejin Joo, South Korea

- Je Jeong Yong, South Korea

Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris

Three 2-week tuition scholarships between Sep. 2022 and June 2023

- Mary Elsener, USA

- Yejin Joo, South Korea

- Je Jeong Yong, South Korea

GEORGIA

State Ballet of Georgia, Tbilisi

One Year Apprenticeship - Eva Chatal, USA
- Katherine St Jean, USA

ITALY

Accademia Internazionale Coreutica, Florence

1) Full Year half tuition scholarship
- Vitoria Caloni, Brazil
2) Two-week tuition scholarship, International Guest Students program - Michaela Fairon,

South Africa
- Elodie Lefebvre, Belgium
- Sadie Weintraub, Ireland

SLOVENIA

Ljubljana Opera House

Full summer scholarship, including meals and lodging, 26 July to 6 August -

Liselotte Van Doorn, Aruba

SOUTH KOREA

Korea National University of Arts

Two-week scholarship, Contemporary Department

- Mary Elsener, USA

Two-week scholarship, Classical Department

- Emma Tatum, USA

UNITED KINGDOM

Ballet Theatre UK

1) studio company contracts, from September 2022 to May 2023 - Eunmin Yoon, South Korea
- Seo Yeon Kang, South Korea

2) one-year trainee scholarship starting September 2023 - Anderson Christie, United Kingdom
- Sadie Weintraub, Ireland

3) Summer 2023 Intensive Scholarship

- Vitoria Caloni, Brazil
- Elisa Molinari, Italy
- Elodie Lefebvre, Belgium

- Caitlin Jules, USA

UNITED STATES

Alvin Ailey School

Summer Scholarship
- Chelsea St Cloud, USA

- Victor Sampaio, Brazil

Korea National University of Arts

Two-week scholarship, Contemporary Department

- Mary Elsener, USA

Two-week scholarship, Classical Department

- Emma Tatum, USA

Cleveland Ballet

1) 40-week company contract, starting August 1, 2022 - Sydney Henson, USA
2) Two-year trainee program
- Michaela Fairon, South Africa

- Vitoria Caloni, Brazil
3) Full Summer scholarship summer July 5-30, including housing, transportation and meals - Linzi Huang, USA
- Ekaterina Pichkova, USA
- Liselotte Van Doorn, Aruba
- Sarah Kusek, Poland

Columbia Classical Ballet

27-week contract, August 29-April 1, 2023 - Barbara Dias, Brazil
- Seungkyun Park, South Korea

Martha Graham

Three-week winter Intensive - Chaewon Lee, South Korea

New York Theatre Ballet

Invitation to Choreography Workshop - Chaewon Lee, South Korea

New Jersey Ballet

Full tuition, Summer Intensive July 11- August 12, 2022 - Caitlin Jules, USA

Portland Ballet

1) Trainee contract:- Mary Elsener, USA
2) Four week full tuition, Summer 2023 - Linzi Huang, USA
- Marina Galon Brunetti, Brazil

Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory

Full tuition, Summer Intensive 2023 - Caitlin Jules, USA