Emma Freedman to Host ROYAL ACADEMY OF DANCE's International Ballet Competition, Dec. 11

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is pleased to announce that the prestigious Genée International Ballet Competition Final at the Sydney Opera House on 11 December 2016 will be live streamed from Sydney Opera House online. Hosted by Australian TV presenter and Dancing with the Stars 2015 winner Emma Freedman, viewers will have the opportunity to witness some of the world's most talented young ballet dancers compete in the renowned competition judged by David McAllister, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, and Francesco Ventrigilia, Artistic Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

International and Australian dance lovers will have the opportunity to virtually attend the final in a live stream hosted by Emma Freedman. The online live stream, which will be available through paid-for access via the RAD website on Sunday 11 December 2016 at 6.30pm AEDT / 7.30am GMT, will give viewers access to exclusive content including interviews, special behind the scenes footage and backstage coverage during intervals.

The broadcast coverage of the final will remain online for a limited time for live stream viewers to watch the competition at their convenience and in different time zones or to watch it again in the comfort of their own home and replay favourite moments. Audiences watching the live stream in real time will also have the chance to cast their vote for their favourite dancer to win the Dame Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award via an online polling system on the RAD website. All viewers will be able to download a copy of the Genée Souvenir Programme.

Returning to Australia in 2016, the Genée International Ballet Competition is now in its 85th year. The Genée is named after the RAD's first president, Dame Adeline Genée, and is renowned for launching the professional careers of young ballet dancers. Past medalists have gone on to join celebrated companies around the world including: The Australian Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The National Ballet of Canada, English National Ballet and The Royal Ballet.

With gold-level sponsorship from Bloch® Australia and Mondor, and as one of the most prestigious dance competitions in the world, the Genée provides pre-professional dancers the opportunity to receive world-class coaching with renowned choreographers and teachers. This year's Commissioned Choreographer, appearing at the Genée thanks to sponsor Energetiks™, Tim Harbour, Resident Choreographer of The Australian Ballet, has created choreography specifically for the Genée which will be revealed for the first time in the competition final. Candidates also get to showcase their own choreography as part of the competition with the chance to win a Choreographic Award, sponsored by Mondor.

The competition boasts an esteemed faculty including Lynn Wallis OBE, Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance, New Zealand-born choreographer Adrian Burnett, Leading Soloist with The Australian Ballet and international guest teacher, and Fiona Tonkin, Artistic Associate & Principal Coach of The Australian Ballet.

Held alongside the Genée International Ballet Competition, the RAD also hosts the Genée Dance Challenge, which is open to all dancers studying with an RAD registered teacher and residing in the host country. This year's Dance Challenge is sponsored exclusively by Bloch® Australia and is an exciting platform for young Australian dancers to take what they have learned through RAD exams and their regular dance classes and showcase it in a theatrical setting in a mini Genée experience. The state winners of the Dance Challenge will compete in the final held in Sydney on 10 December and will also have the exciting opportunity to watch the Genée Final at Sydney Opera House on 11 December.

The Online Live Streaming hosted by Emma Freedman can be accessed via a paid for link for $30 (RAD members can login to the members' area for a discounted rate):http://rad.5stream.com/content.php?id=14723.

Dame Margot Fonteyn Audience Choice Award online votes, via an online polling system will be added to the live votes cast by the Opera House audience on the night to decide the winner also at:http://rad.5stream.com/content.php?id=14723.

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