Scott McKenzie

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Lola
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by Lola »

Thanks jacob and Deanfan5 for your resumes :) It's so great to hear about Scott and his endeavours at the RBS. When I saw him as Billy he already was an amazing ballet dancer but from what I've seen on youtube and heard from you guys he has leaped to a much higher level of skills and perfection. I wish him all the best for the finals!
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jacob
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by jacob »

Scott performed in the Young British Dancer of the Year at The Royal Opera House, Linbury Studio this evening.

I am delighted to say that the Adjudicating Panel unanimously awarded Scott a Special Acknowledgement. This is something that had never been awarded before and although not a prize it showed how very highly the Panel thought of his talent.

Well done Scott (again).

Review to follow.
'Are we human or are we dancers?' The Killers

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jacob
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by jacob »

There are many Dance competitions in the UK and quite a few Ballet ones. Indeed some of the latter have grandiose titles. In reality the most prestigious by far is The Young British Dancer of The Year (ybdy) as the finalists invariably go on to join ballet Companies and often become principal dancers. The Jury for the final consisted of a Chairman and 8 judges. Their number included Aaron S. Watkin, Artistic Director of the Sempereraopera Ballet Dresden and Tamara Rojo.
This year there were 71 entries from 11 participating schools. These were reduced to 16 finalists after the heats and semi finals last weekend. Scott was one of the youngest finalists being fifteen years old most being sixteen or seventeen. Whereas in the semi final the girls all danced first and then all the boys, in the final the order of dancing seemed to have been decided by a draw. Scott was number 3.

Each contestant danced two Variations. For Variation 1 these were the same pieces that had been danced in the semi final. However, the conditions were very different in that there was a different stage, auditorium and piano. The latter was on stage and miked up. I gather that some dancers preferred the school stage and some the Linbury stage. Moreover, there was a tremendous atmosphere with lots of cheering. The theatre was full with many students from dance schools standing at the sides. The only comment that I have to make about Variations 1 is that this time the boys smiled :D

The Chairman introduced Variations 2 by saying that the judges would score the character, style and quality of dance for each candidate. This represented a change from previous years. The artistic merit of each performance had become crucial and this affected the choice of Variation. Scott chose Prince Desire's variation from Sleeping Beauty Act 2. The Prince is feeling miserable and has dismissed his Hunting Party. Scott captured The Prince's mood of unhappiness with a black costume and some lovely slow expressive dance movements. Here we saw characterisation through dance and costume with style and fine dancing. This was not flashy, had no props or jewellery, but it was emotional.

All the Variations achieved strong characterisations ranging from humour ( Basilio's variation, Don Quixote Act 3) to the elegance of Indian dance (La Bayadere). The girls were able to capture the artistic quality of their dance through some elaborately elegant costumes and headdresses and to some extent I thought that this gave them an advantage over the boys. I shall not presume to make critical comments on individuals as the overall standard was so high. Of course, there were mistakes but these were young dancers performing in a highly stressful setting before eminent judges.

As I have said Scott received a Special Acknowledgement from the Chairman of the Jury panel.

The other winners were:

1st Chisato Katsura The Royal Ballet School

2nd Isabelle Brouwers English National Ballet School

3rd Jerome Barnes The Royal Ballet School

Sibley/Dowell Award, Barnaby Rook Bishop The Royal Ballet School

Finally, I would like to thank Rachel Hollings for her kindness in extending me an invitation to the Final.
'Are we human or are we dancers?' The Killers

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Deanfan5
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by Deanfan5 »

I would also like to thank Jacob for getting me a ticket as well. Front Row :shock: :D I agree with everything put so well in his review. The Act 2 Prince piece from Sleeping Beauty was an acting tour de force and boy can Scott act ( well we knew that with Billy didn't we :P ). The gravitas and melancholy he conveyed was suberb. Maybe not the flashiest of routine dance wise compared to some of the others but the stage presence and deportment and fine precise dancing from Scott really caught the imagination and I can see why it impressed the judges. Scott is only 15 and he was up against older and more experienced dancers who maybe did deserve to carry the major awards but what the judges recognised (as I did) is that Scott if he continues to progress as he seems to be doing he will have ( Like Liam) a major future in the ballet world. Good luck to Scott for upcoming auditions and maybe we will se him again in this competition next year. As his Mum said to us his goal was to achieve the finals and he did that but the special commendation showed to the watching audience the added plus that really marked Scott out from the others who did not get an award on the night. Scott, very well done.
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Billy Whiz
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by Billy Whiz »

Thank you jacob and Deanfan5 for your comprehensive reports. They are greatly appreciated by us who could not be there. The reports were the next best thing.

A big WELL DONE to Scott.
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porschesrule
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by porschesrule »

With Scott's mum's (Jane) permission, I'm thrilled to repost her message from the Scott McKenzie Appreciation Society on Facebook:

"Fantastic news! Scott has been offered a place at Royal Ballet Upper School in Covent Garden. Well done Scott, so proud of you xx"

Well Done, Scott!!
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by MegaBillyfan »

That´s great news - good luck, Scott! :D
London: 27 shows (Ryan 2* - my first Billy, Dean, Kaine 4*, Adam, Redmand 4*, Harrison 3*, Harris 2*, Tade 3*, Ali 2*, Matteo, Ollie, Bradley, Nat, Euan - my last Billy)

I can´t really explain it, I haven´t got the words
It´s a feeling that you can´t control ...
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ERinVA
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by ERinVA »

Congratulations, Scott!
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Brad
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by Brad »

OMG that is fantastic. Well done Scott and well done to your parents. I have passed that building a few times and it always amazing me as to what is going on inside. I am sure I have seen the seath running out the door!!!! :D
Cheers

Brad
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Brad
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Re: Scott McKenzie

Post by Brad »

Brad wrote:OMG that is fantastic. Well done Scott and well done to your parents. I have passed that building a few times and it always amazing me as to what is going on inside. I am sure I have seen the seath running out the door!!!! :D
Ok so maybe:

OMG that is fantastic. Well done Scott and well done to your parents. I have passed that building a few times and it always amazes me as to what is going on inside. I am sure I have seen the sweat running out the door!!!!

Try that :roll: :oops:
Cheers

Brad
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