Winners announced for the 2024 Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarships for Senior and Junior Dancers

The Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarships provide the most valuable and prestigious awards in the Southern Hemisphere to encourage students in the study of the art of ballet.  

The 2024 winner in the Senior age group (16-19 years) is Georgia Lorange, from Tambourine Mountain, Queensland. Georgia trains at TMD and has won the Australian YAGP senior Classical Ballet Section, the BPAC Classical Scholarship and the Cecchetti Lucie Saronova Memorial Award. She was awarded $18,000 ($3,000 cash plus a $15,000 Scholarship). 

Runner up is Tahlia Szumowski,from Ascot, Queensland, winning $10,000 ($2,000 cash plus an $8,000 Scholarship). 

The 2024 winner in the Junior Age Group (14-15 years) is Elih Egan, from Kurri Kurri, NSW. Elih has been dancing since he was 7 and was awarded the Australian Ballet School Supreme Scholarship. He was awarded $7,000 ($1,000 cash, plus a Scholarship of $6,000). 

Runner up is Oscar Taggart, from Wollongong, NSW. He was awarded $1,500. 

Lewis Nicholson was awarded Capezio’s Most Promising Young Dancer Award for 2024, and Bloch presented all senior finalists with a gift voucher 

The Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Gala included a Guest Performance by Sydney Eisteddfod alumnus Jessica Fyfe, currently Principal with Scottish Ballet, and the premiere of a new piece of music for ballet, composed by Daniel Rojas and choreographed by Xanthe Geeves. Vaije de Sueños was performed by Daniel Rojas on piano with the inaugural Sydney Eisteddfod String Quartet, accompanied by dancers from the Australian Youth Ballet. 

The adjudicating panel evaluating the finalists on Sunday July 21 at the Sydney Opera House were industry luminaries Stanton Welch AM, Leanne Benjamin AM OBE, Christian Tatchev, Slava Tutukin and Lynette Wills. They said, “The standard of the finalists showed high talent levels, the junior boys were very inspiring, and the future of ballet in this country is in good hands.” 

Further opportunities were offered to Senior and Junior Finalists at the discretion of the Artistic Directors to attend Houston Ballet Academy (Texas, USA), Australian Ballet & Australian Ballet School, and Queensland Ballet & Queensland Ballet Academy.

To learn more about Sydney Eisteddfod, visit https://sydneyeisteddfod.com.au/

Senior Winner, Georgia Lorange, Sydney Eisteddfod Ballet Scholarship, Image credit BWP Studios