A great achievement! Interview with the Japanese finalists of the Prix de Lausanne 2022

50th Prix de Lausanne 2022
Takada Sachiya was selected as a finalist.
Takada, who is from Yokohama, started ballet at the age of four at her mother's ballet studio.

The Prix de Lausanne is a world-famous competition that is a hot topic in Japan every year and is truly a stepping stone for young ballet dancers.
The first selection is based on documents and videos, and those who pass the preliminary round will travel to Switzerland as semi-finalists and participate in several auditions held there. Dancers who pass the semi-final will then advance to the main competition as finalists, aiming to win a prize. The main competition lasts for about a week, and requires dancers to have not only physical strength but also high concentration and mental strength.
This year, there were 81 semi-finalists, of which only 20 became finalists, making it a very narrow gate. It is a very large competition with a long history, and many young dancers apply every year with the aim of winning.

This time, we will feature Japanese dancer Sachiya Takada, who was selected as a finalist at the 50th Prix de Lausanne 2022.

<Career>
She began ballet at the age of four at a studio run by her mother. She won first place in her first small ballet competition when she was in the third grade of elementary school, and has since gone on to win awards in numerous competitions. In 2019, she placed second in the Japanese qualifying round for the international competition YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix), earning her the right to compete in the finals in New York and a scholarship to her first choice ballet school, but both were canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Instead of the New York finals being cancelled, the selection process was conducted via video, and she won a full scholarship from the Basel Theater Ballet School (Switzerland), where she is currently studying, and was able to study abroad safely despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Takada:
Although there were many difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that by joining my current school, I was able to compete in the Prix de Lausanne (International Ballet Competition). I was very lucky.

-Takada-san, you are currently studying abroad in Switzerland. Please tell us about your life there.
They live in a boys' house owned by the school and cook their own meals every day. They take the tram to school, lessons start at 8am, and in the afternoon they go to the academic building for lectures, buy groceries and go home every day.

-What made you start ballet?
My older sister started learning at my mother's ballet studio, so I always saw her lessons.
According to her mother, she decided that she had potential after having her practice ballet footwork in the living room of her home, so she started serious training at the age of four.

-What does ballet mean to you, Takada?
It is the very center of my life and my future career.
I would like to clearly express that "ballet is an art."

- Thoughts on the Prix de Lausanne
I participated in the competition with the aim of being scouted by a ballet company that could be a potential employer.
Unfortunately, it didn't come to fruition. As a result, it was very painful for me at the time, but now it has become even more of a motivation for me to continue doing my best in the future.

Participating in the Prix de Lausanne

-How did you feel when you were selected as a finalist?
It wasn't a feeling of arrogance at all, but in fact I was secretly confident that I could become a finalist, so I felt like, "I did it!"

Participating in the Prix de Lausanne 2022

- Future outlook
I have one year left until I graduate from school, and at the same time I will start looking for a job.
My goal is to join a company in Europe or the United States.
I will continue to work hard every day so that I will have no regrets.

thank you very much!
He was confident that he could become a finalist. Yukiya Takada is a young dancer brimming with confidence and hope, and the skills he has cultivated through rigorous daily lessons are undeniable.
Even the fact that her dream of studying abroad at a school was not realized due to the COVID-19 pandemic seems like it was fate that led to where she is today. She said she wants to express that "ballet is an art."
We look forward to your future success!