TheCompetition
Mengxuan Yan & Zihan Kong
2023 Junior Female Gold & Junior Male Bronze, China
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION (IBC) premiered in Varna, Bulgaria, in 1964 and eventually grew into a cycle of ballet competitions that rotated among the cities of Varna, Moscow, and Tokyo. Jackson, Mississippi, hosted the first IBC in the United States in June 1979.
The USA International Ballet Competition (USA IBC) was founded through the vision and determination of Thalia Mara, a former dancer, educator, and arts leader. In 1977, Thalia spearheaded the effort to establish and host an international ballet competition. With the support of Robert Joffrey, who served as chairman of the first international jury, and strong local and international backing, the 1979 inaugural competition welcomed 70 dancers from 15 countries to Jackson, Mississippi.
From its inception, the USA IBC distinguished itself through its unique spirit of hospitality and innovation. Competitors, jurors, and teachers were hosted by local families, and dancers eliminated in early rounds were invited to remain for the full event. Jackson also became the first IBC to introduce a companion International Dance School.
Over the decades, the USA IBC has continued to evolve. Thalia Mara was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and honorary gold medal in 2002, followed by the competition receiving Mississippi’s highest arts honor, the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, in 2003.
The 2006 USA IBC introduced The Edward Stierle Contemporary Showcase, allowing eliminated competitors to perform contemporary works they were prepared to dance in later rounds. The performance was named in honor of Edward Stierle, a Joffrey dancer and 1986 USA IBC medalist. The USA IBC rekindled its official torch with a new flame donated by Sandra and Richard Carlino on behalf of Regional Dance America, honoring Luis Fuente, who appeared on the 1982 USA IBC poster. The torch remains a visible symbol, burning outside Thalia Mara Hall throughout the event.
The 2010 USA IBC introduced the USA IBC and Thalia Mara as American Masterpieces, a National Endowment for the Arts designation—presented through the Mississippi Arts Commission—to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.
Receiving sanction from the International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) of UNESCO, Jackson joined Varna, Moscow, and Tokyo in hosting an ITI-sanctioned IBC. Helsinki later replaced Tokyo as a host city.
The 1982 United States Congress by Joint Resolution designated Jackson as the official home of the International Ballet Competition within the USA. The second USA IBC, held that summer, was featured in To Dance for Gold, an ABC/PBS film aired worldwide.
The USA IBC saw its first competitors from the former USSR in1986. Soviet dancers Andris Liepa and Nina Ananiashvili won the top prize, the Grand Prix City of Jackson Award of Excellence. Robert Joffrey, co-founder and three-time jury chairman, was honored at the 1990 USA IBC and Jose Manuel Carreño, the USA IBC’s first Cuban entrant, became the third Grand Prix City of Jackson Award of Excellence winner. In 1994, Johan Kobborg became the most recent recipient of the Grand Prix Award. To date, just four recipients have received this distinguished honor.
Bruce Marks, Boston Ballet Artistic Director, assumed the role and chaired USA IBC juries through 2010. In 2014, Edward Villella, lauded as the greatest male ballet dancer America has produced, chaired the International Jury. Sue Lobrano Womble, Executive Director of the USA IBC for seven competitions, was honored with a gold medal upon her retirement, and Mona Nicholas was named her successor. Nina Ananiashvili, Grand Prix winner in the 1986 USA IBC, was a juror. In 2016, she and her State Ballet of Georgia traveled from Tbilisi, Georgia to perform at Thalia Mara Hall.
The 2018 USA IBC recognized Edward Villella as Honorary Chairman, and John Meehan, former ABT principal, chaired the International Jury. The Joffrey Ballet, under artistic direction of Ashley Wheater, presented the Opening Night performance in tribute to Robert Joffrey.
Originally scheduled for June 2022, the 12th USA IBC was delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflicting schedules of the Varna, Moscow, and Helsinki competitions. John Meehan chaired the International Jury once again in June 2023. USA IBC XII hosted 99 competitors from 16 nations. Ben Stevenson OBE was named Honorary Chairman and celebrated for his career as a dancer, director, choreographer, and many contributions to the dance world. Dancer 12, a commissioned sculpture was unveiled and permanently placed in front of Thalia Mara Hall. New York based artist Jack Howard Potter was present for the unveiling and was a speaker for the Arts and Lecture series where he shared his inspiration for the sculpture.
International ballet competitions have flourished since 1979 and yet, around the globe, young artists still aspire to Dance Jackson, where the USA IBC continues to earn its prestige as one of the most respected competitions in the world. June 2027 commemorates 50 years of artistic excellence for the USA IBC. Please join us as we celebrate decades of dance and generations of gold at the historical Thalia Mara Hall, named after our ambitious and tenacious founder, Thalia Mara.
June 12-26, 2027
Legacy in Motion. 50 years of USA IBC.
Competitor applications open October 1, 2026.
Watch the American Masterpieces video on the USA IBC
Every 4 years, the ballet world returns to Mississippi.
When Jackson hosted its first IBC in 1979, the world was watching. Almost five decades later, the world continues to watch Jackson. Each of our 12 competitions has been different, but all have enriched the USA IBC’s reputation as a premier artistic showcase for ballet.