Since the cancellation of NYIBC 2013 was announced on January 31, 2013, the Board of Directors has reviewed the organization’s options with regard to sustaining its future. To maintain its debt-free status during this difficult period, the offices were closed down; and, following careful evaluation of the organization’s standing, the Board Members concluded that after a remarkable thirty-year run, it is now time to bring down the curtain on New York International Ballet Competition (NYIBC).
The Board of Directors wishes to thank the alumni who participated in the program and graced the NYIBC stage since the first competition in 1984, the donors, grantmakers, sponsors, partners, volunteers, interns, host “dance families”, teachers, coaches, judges, honorees, audience and every member of the Staff and Artistic Advisory Board whose trust, support, commitment and devotion over the years were integral to shaping the NYIBC Legacy.
In 1983, Ilona Copen founded NYIBC in order to fill a void and satisfy a need in the global dance community. Other international ballet competitions existed, but New York, considered the dance capital of the world, did not have its own. Joined by NYIBC’s beloved first Artistic Director, Igor Youskevitch, they created NYIBC to:
- provide young dancers from all over the world with a learning process that gave them dance experience, which significantly contributed to their growth as artists;
- champion the classical pas de deux and modern/contemporary duet artistry and technique;
- preserve and enhance our rich dance heritage;
- advance ballet as an art form.
NYIBC’s unique dance education and performance program format provided its participants with a fair level playing field.