Phoenix dancer Paityn Lauzon won $3000 in the NSALAZ competition, with runners up Flagstaff dancers Rylee Keller and Eliza Moyer, 2nd & 3rd place, winning $2000 and $1000, respectively. Yuma Ballet dancer Mia Williams won a full scholarship with room and board to School of American Ballet (SAB) summer program in NYC. Congratulations, dancers!
National Arts & Letters Society – AZ winner Paityn Lauzon
Paityn Lauzon will participate in the virtual NALS National Competition to be held June 3-4. Total prize money is $40,000!
Michael Cook, Paola Hartley and Sabrina Delafield served as Arizona judges. Andrew Needhammer, RAD, ARAD, RTS is Honorary Chair of the Arizona Competition, Rebecca Needhammer RAD is Co-chair. Susan Silverman NSALAZ Dance Chair.
Paityn started dancing at age 3 and fell in love with ballet by the age of 10. She has performed several memorable Nutcracker roles with Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre, including three consecutive years starring as Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy simultaneously (2018, 2017, 2016). Paityn danced the lead role of Giselle in a full theatre production (2018) and performed as Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2018). Paityn has attended Intensive training at Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre, as well as on scholarship at Grand Rapids Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet School, Boca Ballet Theatre and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
Photo by Eduardo Izquerdo
Paityn has had success in numerous competitions, notably earning top 12 in both classical and contemporary categories (2018, 2017) at the Youth America Grand Prix Phoenix North America Semi-Finals. Paityn placed 2nd at the National Society of Arts and Letters National Classical Ballet Competition, Greater Arizona Chapter (2017), as well as 2nd place at the National Society of Arts and Letters Dance Competition (Classical Modern), Phoenix Chapter (2018, 2017). Paityn also won the Bronze Medal in both classical and contemporary categories at the Indianapolis City Ballet Competition (2017). Paityn is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in ballet with an outside field in astronomy at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she received the Premier Young Artist Award and has been recognized as a Founder’s Scholar for her outstanding GPA. She will graduate from IU in May 2022.
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Mia Williams Receives A Full Scholarship to SAB, Including Room & Board
Ballet Yuma company dancer, Mia Williams, will be attending the School of American Ballet (SAB) in NYC this summer. Auditions were by submitted video. Mia was awarded a full tuition scholarship with room and board for the 5-week program. This is very prestigious as SAB has reduced the number of dancers in the program because of the pandemic. Only 60 students are allowed to dorm this summer. The rest have to find their own housing. Mia is 16 and a sophomore at Gila Ridge High School in Yuma, and has been a student at the Yuma Ballet Academy since age 10.
Kathleen Sinclair, Director
Yuma Ballet Academy/Ballet Yuma
928-314-4762
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