FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sarasota, FL (July 1, 2018)
Media Contact: Rebeca Fernandez [email protected] 941.365.8400
SARASOTA CUBAN BALLET SCHOOL WINS BRONZE MEDAL AT 2018 USA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION
Sarasota, FL.- Harold Mendez, a 16-year-old dance student at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School (SCBS), won the bronze medal in the Junior Male category at the 2018 USA International Ballet Competition (USA IBC) held from June 10 to June 23 in Jackson, Mississippi.
119 dancers —ages 14 to 28— participated in the by-invitation-only, two-week Olympic style competition. After three rounds of world-class performances, a panel of international judges selected only 18 dancers, representing eight different nations, as the competition’s medal winners.
When the winners were announced at a gala on June 22, Harold's coach and SCBS Co-Artistic Director, Ariel Serrano had double the reason to feel proud. It turned out that Katherine Barkman, a former SCBS student and now a principal dancer at Ballet Manila had won the silver medal in the Senior Female category.
"Being distinguished at USA IBC allows both Harold and Katherine to take their places among the world’s best young ballet dancers,” said Serrano.
USA IBC was founded in 1979 by renowned American dancer and educator Thalia Mara. In 1982, the United States Congress and former President Ronald Reagan passed a Joint Resolution designating Jackson as the official home of the event. Today, USA IBC is one of the five most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
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Road to Bronze
Six months of intense training preceded Mendez’s fourth trip to the winner's podium —previously, he won medals at 2014 Cuba’s Grand Prix, 2016 Youth America Grand Prix Semifinals, and 2017 World Ballet Competition. Mornings classes at Sarasota High School were followed by six hours on the sprung floor of SCBS studios, where he perfected four classical and two contemporary ballet solos that blew away his competition and amazed everyone who saw him perform.
Medaling at the third oldest international ballet competition in the world while representing the United States is a dream come true for the young man. Three years ago, his family left Cuba so he could continue his training to become a professional dancer.
"Moving to Sarasota has been great, here I have the best coach anyone could ask for and I get to perform for crowds who love ballet as much as I do," said Mendez.
After a well-deserved week of rest, Harold will get back to the studio to prepare for SCBS’ On Stage Performance on July 28, at 7 pm at the Sarasota Opera House. In August, he'll start preparing for his next international competition: The Grand Prix de Lausanne to be held on February 2019, in Switzerland.
"I want the World to know the kind of talent we have in Sarasota and the support we receive from the community. Harold is a phenomenon, but without the support of our town's generous community, getting him to Jackson would have been impossible," acknowledges Serrano.
SCBS’ Co-Artistic Director and Harold’s teacher hopes that Harold and Katherine's victories will reveal Sarasota's potential as a training ground for ballet talent.
About The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School SCBS was founded in 2012 by the Cuban-born husband and wife team of Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez. They both trained at the elite National Ballet School of Cuba and performed internationally. In 1993 they moved to Sarasota to join the Sarasota Ballet. Co-Artistic Directors of SCBS, they teach classes at all levels for students from age three to adults, but the heart of the School’s program is a rigorous training course to prepare talented, serious young dancers for professional careers. Students of SCBS have gone on to perform with Dance Theater of Harlem, Milwaukee Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, Boston Ballet, Ballet Manila, Ballet Municipal de Lima and the Royal Ballet School and Company.
About the Cuban Style SCBS is one of the few schools in the United States specializing in the Cuban training style, which is renowned for its athleticism, passion and grace. The Cuban Style is an authentic movement of classical ballet with influences from all the major schools —French, Italian and Russian. It emphasizes dancing with the entire body and promoting harmonious movement among arms, legs and torso. It is very clean and precise, yet very graceful. It has a romantic feel, with attentive partnering, and is changing the face of modern ballet throughout the world. This award-winning School provides world-class ballet instruction in the tradition of the Cuban method.
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