Medalists Announced for USA IBC XI

JACKSON, Miss., June 22, 2018 – Following two weeks of intense, world-class competition, 18 dancers from eight nations were selected as 2018 USA International Ballet Competition medalists and award recipients.

Senior Division Medalists are:

Men’s Senior Gold Medalist – Sicong Wu, China

Women’s Senior Gold Medalist – Yunting Qiu, China

Men’s Senior Silver Medalist – Sangmin Lee, Republic of Korea

Women’s Senior Silver Medalist – Soobin Lee, Republic of Korea

Women’s Senior Silver Medalist – Katherine Barkman, USA

Men’s Senior Bronze Medalist – David Schrenk, USA

Women’s Senior Bronze Medalist – Chisako Oga, USA

Best Senior Couple – Soobin Lee & Sangmin Lee, Republic of Korea

Junior Division Medalists are:

Men’s Junior Gold Medalist – No gold awarded

Women’s Junior Gold Medalist – Elisabeth Beyer, USA

Men’s Junior Silver Medalist – Hyuma Kiyosawa, Japan

Women’s Junior Silver Medalist – Julia Rust, USA

Women’s Junior Silver Medalist – Carolyne Galvao, Brazil

Men’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Harold Mendez, USA

Men’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Joseph Markey, USA

Women’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Tia Wenkman, USA

Women’s Junior Bronze Medalist – Rheya Shano, USA

Special Awards included:

Robert Joffrey Award of Merit – Mya Kresnyak, Canada

Jury Award of Encouragement – Veronica Atienza, Philippines

Jury Award of Encouragement – Nicole Klaudine Barroso, Philippines

Jury Award of Encouragement – Razmik Marukyan, Armenia

Choreography Award – Zhang Disha for “Sad Birds,” performed by Sicong Wu & Yunting Qiu

Choreography Award – Fei Bo for “Permanent Yesterday,” performed by Sicong Wu & Yunting Qiu

For videos of classical performances from 2018 and previous USA IBCs, download order form here. 

The USA IBC is a two-week, “Olympic”-style competition where tomorrow’s stars vie for gold, silver and bronze medals; cash awards; company contracts; and scholarships. The event is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, the USA IBC is held every four years in Jackson, Mississippi. For more information about USA IBC, visit www.usaibc.com or www.facebook.com/usaibc.