The final day of the Budapest Ballet Grand Prix (BBGP) was unforgettable. After the Gala, two of the jury members were interviewed. Suejin Kang and David Makhateli told us how they experienced the long days of the competition, how strict the scoring was and, of course, what they thought of Budapest and the BBGP contesters.
When the President of the BBGP jury Suejin Kang was asked what she had to say to the young ballet artists at the end of the competition, she immediately answered:
“Never give up, even on the hardest days!”
The South Korean master emphasized that it is not easy to reach a professional level in ballet.
Photo by Andrea P. Merlo
“I was strict when evaluating the productions, simply because that’s my job. I am strict, but I am a woman with good intentions. So if I gave someone a harsh score on his or her performance, it doesn’t mean they should give up. Dance is something you can always pursue either on a professional level or just for passion. Life is full of surprises and there’s so much more to it than what we see from this world.”
She added that she will return home with good memories after the competition. Suejin Kang saw little of the Hungarian capital, as the busy schedule of the competition was demanding for all members of the jury. Despite this, her first impressions of Hungary and Budapest are excellent. The world-famous ballet artist would like to return one day to get to know the capital better.
David Makhateli, former principal of the Royal Ballet of London and founding director of Grand Audition described the Budapest Ballet Grand Prix as a very important opportunity for participants to get a head start. The respected and highly entertaining Makhateli believes that the young people had the opportunity to get a “better angle” on the work of different schools and dancers around the world and what they focus on in a competition like this.
“We got to see a lot of different dancers who are at various levels professionally, but we expected this. Some are more skilled and of a higher standard, others have room for improvement. That’s okay, that’s why we were here to give them advice. I think the finalists set the bar high and I’m sure there are those who will continue to follow the path of young talent in the future.”
David Makhateli also added that the organisation was great, and the start of the competition was excellent. Regarding the Gala event on 24 November, he said it was a great feeling to sit in the audience and simply enjoy the show after three days of very hard work as a jury member.
