Dance journalist Jean-Pierre Pastori, from French-speaking Switzerland, has written a book to mark 50 years since the launch of the internationally renowned “Prix de Lausanne” ballet competition. Entitled “50 années étoilées” in French and “50 Starry Years” in English, it brings together anecdotes, facts, stories and a wealth of photographs from the competition’s archive. Twenty short chapters with de-scriptive titles such as “The same, yet different”, “Ongoing development”, “Double the success!”, “In the Land of the Dancing Sun” and “Awareness and encouragement of choreography” are devoted to the history of the competition but also touch on issues such as dancers’ health, Ostpolitik and the composition of the jury. Half a century on from its foundation, the Prix de Lausanne is still one of the world’s best-known dance competitions. That is because it is always ready to challenge itself, in order to meet the needs of young dancers completing their training in the best possible way – primarily by awarding scholarships and apprenticeships. Especially striking are the 250 photographs, many in black and white, offering numerous impressions of life both on the stage and behind the scenes.
The attractively designed book is published by Infolio and can be ordered from the publisher’s website:
