23 October 2023 16:18

Winners of the 2023 Susan Sargison Awards & Joan Burnett Scholarship

RAD Australia is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Susan Sargison Awards and the Joan Burnett Scholarship. The awards, held on Saturday 21^st October at the Earl Art Centre, were a tremendous success, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication of young dancers in Tasmania. Adjudicated by RAD Examiner Susan Sargison (Susan Sargison Awards) and former Principal Artist of the Australian Ballet Madeleine Eastoe (Joan Burnett Scholarship) they were a true celebration of excellence in dance in the RAD Syllabus, in particular highlighting the love of dance in regional Australia. Tasmania has a long history of supporting the RAD and the ballet art form.

The awards namesake and adjudicator,  Susan Sargison said of the day:

“I was so proud to watch the Tasmanian students perform their Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus work over the weekend in the “Susan Sargison Awards” that I sponsor. What an exciting time it was for the students, as in its 2nd year it has now moved front the studio to the stage. The Tasmanian students had such joy when they danced and it was also a wonderful opportunity to perform all the dances for their parents. I also feel these awards are a positive finale for the Tasmanian teachers to showcase all the hard work that has been put in, to prepare their students for the examinations held earlier in the year.”

Lia Cox, Head of Department- Examinations & Regions, who attended both the Susan Sargison Awards and the Joan Burnett Scholarship, echoed Ms. Sargison's sentiments and added:

‘What a wonderful day was had at the Susan Sargison and Joan Burnett Awards in Launceston over the weekend! I was fortunate enough to witness the incredible talent in Tasmania, on par with the rest of the country I might add, with dancers coming from all over the state.

Grade One’s joined the Susan Sargison Awards for the first time this year, performing their syllabus work to esteemed adjudicator, and RAD Examiner Susan Sargison, and former Australian Ballet Principal Madeleine Eastoe adjudicated the Joan Burnett Awards in the afternoon.

This year, the Awards took place in a theatre and their performance skills were on full display!

Most students also took up the opportunity to participate in the masterclasses on offer the following day with Ms Sargison and Ms Eastoe concluding a wonderful weekend of ballet!

Well done to Regional Manager VIC & TAS Catherine Fennell on pulling together a fabulous weekend, and congratulations to all volunteers, friends of the panel and teachers who continually support the events of the Royal Academy of Dance.’

Under the guidance of esteemed teacher Susan Hill Henning, the candidates displayed an outstanding level of performance and enthusiasm, impressing the adjudicators with their exceptional skills and artistic expression. The prestigious awards recognise the outstanding achievements of dancers in various grades, and the results are as follows:

Susan Sargison Awards:

OVERALL WINNER – SUSAN SARGISON AWARD

Julia Zhou (Grade 5)                                 House of Dance - Hobart

BLOCH AWARD FOR MOST POTENTIAL

Carla Casey (Grade 5)                              Caroline Small School of Dance - Davenport

DANCE FEST 2024 – Summer School

Jessica Lowe (Grade 3)                           Dance Pointe Academy - Launceston

Grade 1

Grade 2

Grade 3

Joan Burnett OAM Scholarship:

OVERALL WINNER – JOAN BURNETT SCHOLARSHIP

Ruby Symons (Advanced Foundation)             Caroline Small School of Dance – Devonport

MARTIN RUBENSTIEN AWARD

William Kiseljev (Intermediate)                         Caroline Small School of Dance – Devonport

DANCE FEST 2024 AWARD

Acacia Myers (Intermediate)                             Caroline Small School of Dance – Devonport

Intermediate Foundation:

Intermediate:

Advanced: