Junior Dancer
Online Competition
November 2026
Age groups 10-18 years old
Step Into the Spotlight!
Welcome to the Junior Dancer Online Competition—the ultimate digital stage for the next generation of ballet stars.
This is your moment to share your artistry, elevate your technique, and perform for a global audience. Whether you are perfecting your pirouettes or mastering your arabesque, we are here to celebrate your dedication and talent.
Why You Can't Miss This...
Get Discovered: Put your talent directly in front of world-renowned ballet masters and industry legends.
Win Big: Compete for incredible prizes designed to support and fuel your dance journey.
Go Global: Showcase your passion on an international platform without leaving your home studio.
Your stage is waiting. Tie up your ribbons, cue the music, and show the world exactly what you can do!
Competition Jury
Nina Ananiashvili
Prima Ballerina & Director of State Ballet of Georgia Nina Ananiashvili began her ballet training at the Tbilisi Choreographic School before continuing her studies at the Moscow Choreographic School under Natalia Zolotova. She rose to international fame as a Prima Ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre from 1981 to 2004, where she performed the full classical repertoire under the mentorship of Raisa Struchkova. Her debut tour with the Bolshoi in Germany was met with a legendary 30-minute standing ovation for her performance as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. She is the only ballerina to have received all four of the world’s most prestigious ballet competition awards, including Gold and Grand Prix medals from Varna, Moscow, and Jackson. In 1988, she became the first Soviet dancer invited to perform with New York City Ballet, dancing Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Raymonda Variations, and Apollo. Nina also performed with the Royal Ballet (London), Royal Danish Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, and numerous leading companies across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Since 2004, Nina has served as Artistic Director of the State Ballet of Georgia and the Vakhtang Chabukiani State Choreographic School, where she has overseen over 60 new productions, including works by Balanchine, Ashton, Bournonville, Kylián, and others. She has collaborated with renowned choreographers such as Alexei Ratmansky, Yuri Possokhov, and Stanton Welch, and has staged classical productions internationally, including in China, Portugal, Germany, and Georgia. Her artistic excellence has earned her over 20 national and international honors, including the People’s Artist of Georgia and Russia, the Laurence Olivier Award, the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan), and the UN Goodwill Ambassador title. In 2019, she was named Honorary President of Europa Nostra Georgia, recognizing her ongoing commitment to cultural and artistic leadership.
Stéphane Phavorin
Former First Dancer of The Paris Opera International Guest Ballet Master Stéphane Phavorin received his dance training at the Paris Opera Ballet School and studied classical piano at the Nice Conservatory and in Rueil- Malmaison. Former Premier Danseur of the prestigious Paris Opéra Ballet, Stéphane brings over 25 years of stage experience, having performed leading roles in classical masterpieces by Rudolf Nureyev and Georges Balanchine, and contemporary works by Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Twyla Tharp, Jiri Kilian, and Wayne McGregor. His distinguished career has earned him international recognition, including Paris Opéra’s AROP prize and multiple medals at global competitions. Beyond performance, he holds both a Diplôme d’État (2002) and a Certificat d’Aptitude de professor de danse in pedagogy (2013) from the French State and is a sought-after Ballet Master and guest teacher at top companies such as the Paris Opéra Ballet, London’s Royal Ballet, and the Colón Theatre Ballet in Buenos Aires, HET National Ballet, Scala de Milan.
Denis Matvienko
Split Ballet Director Co-Founder & Artistic Director of BalletStage Denis Matvienko is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of BalletStage and one of Ukraine’s most celebrated ballet artists. He began his training at the Kyiv State Choreographic School and started his professional career at the Ukrainian National Ballet, quickly rising to leading roles. He later joined the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as a soloist, performed as a principal dancer at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, and returned to the Mariinsky as one of its top stars. Denis has also performed as a guest artist with many of the world’s top companies, including the Bolshoi Theatre, La Scala, Paris Opera, and New National Theatre of Japan. Known for his powerful technique and artistic range, Denis has danced principal roles in classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works. His talent has earned him many prestigious awards at international competitions and festivals, recognizing both his performances and contributions to ballet. In addition to performing, Denis has led major ballet companies as an artistic director, taught classical dance at the Vaganova Academy, and helped discover and mentor young dancers through projects like “Ballet of the Future.” Today, Denis is also the Artistic Director of the Ballet Company at the Croatian National Theatre Split (HNK Split). Through BalletStage and his international work, he continues to inspire and guide the next generation of ballet talent.
Olga Smirnova
Principal Dancer Dutch National Ballet Born and raised in St. Petersburg. Studied at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet under the eminent tutor Lyudmila Kovaleva. Immediately upon graduating from the Academy in 2011, joined the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow directly in the soloist rank, and became prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre in 2016. Worked under the tutelage of the legendary Marina Kondratieva until 2018 and then with Maria Allash as her master-tutor In 2022 has joined the Dutch National Ballet (Het Nationale Ballet) as a principal, working with Larissa Lezhnina as her master-tutor. Olga appeared as guest artist with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (2015, 2016 and 2017), the American Ballet Theatre (2014), the Mariinsky Theatre (2014 and 2017), the Wiener Staatsballett (2017 and 2018), and the Hamburg Ballett John Neumeier (2018). Performed on stages around the world in the USA, UK, Japan, Republic of Korea, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Bahrain and Norway She received numerous important professional accolades, including Dancer of the Year 2022 by Dance Europe Magazine, the Grand Prix of the Dance Open Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg in 2016 (together with Semyon Chudin), the Dancer of the Year Award from Positano Premia la Danza – Leonide Massine in Italy in 2014, the Best Female Dancer Prize from the Benois de la Danse International Dance Association in 2013, the Miss Expressivity Prize of the Dance Open Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg in 2013, the 2012 Soul of Dance Rising Star Prize from Ballet Magazine, and the 2009 Grand Prix Award of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Winner of the inaugural televised Bolshoi Ballet dance competition on the Kultura TV channel in the Best Female Dancer category in 2012. Photo by: Altin Kaftira
Anastasia Matvienko
Principal Guest Dancer & Co-Founder of BalletStage Anastasia Matvienko is a Principal Guest Dancer and Co-Founder of BalletStage, combining over 20 years of international stage experience with a deep commitment to ballet education and creative development. A graduate of the Kyiv State Choreographic School, she has received numerous awards at international ballet competitions, including gold and silver medals for her outstanding performances. Anastasia has performed leading roles in iconic classical ballets such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle, as well as contemporary works by choreographers including George Balanchine and Alexei Ratmansky. Her career has taken her to major theaters across Europe, the United States, and Japan, where she has been recognized for her powerful technique and expressive artistry. Beyond the stage, Anastasia is a driving force behind BalletStage, where she co-develops creative concepts, stages productions, and mentors young dancers. In 2022, she launched the BalletStage platform to support Ukrainian ballet artists and foster artistic collaboration in challenging times. A dedicated teacher and coach, Anastasia is also an ambassador for Gaynor Minden and La Prima Ballet School, using her platform to inspire the next generation and share her passion for ballet with audiences around the world.
Daniil Simkin
Ballet Master Daniil Simkin was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, in 1987, the son of acclaimed ballet dancers Dmitrij Simkin and Olga Aleksandrova. His family moved to Western Europe in 1990 and took residence in Wiesbaden, Germany, where Daniil grew up. He gained early stage experience at the age of five, dancing with his father in many productions of the Staatstheater Wiesbaden. At the age of nine, Daniil began ten years of daily ballet training with his mother, who, while having a direct lineage in her teaching methods to Vaganova, was inspired by several different international ballet techniques. In these training years, he won a number of important ballet awards, including the Senior Gold Medal at the Jackson International Ballet competition in 2006, the Grand Prix at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 2005 and the Grand Prix at the International Ballet Competition in Vienna in 2004. After graduating academic high school in Germany, Daniil joined the Vienna State Opera Ballet as a demi-soloist in 2006 and also began his career as a guest performer around the world. In 2008, he joined American Ballet Theatre as a soloist and was subsequently promoted to principal dancer in 2012. He since then has danced most major classical and neoclassical roles in the company’s repertoire including Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Desire in Sleeping Beauty, Basilio in Don Quixote, The Prince in Nutcracker, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Lensky in Onegin and Lescaut in Manon, among others. Daniil has performed in ballets created by such masters as Petipa, Bournonville, Balanchine, McMillan, Fokine, Tudor, Cranko, Robbins and Cunningham as well as by many of today’s luminaries such as Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Jiri Kylian and Alejandro Cerrudo. In addition, he has created roles in ballets by such leading contemporary choreographers as Alexei Ratmansky, Benjamin Millepied, Alexander Ekman, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa and Jorma Elo. In his professional career, Daniil has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Working with his family, he organized International Ballet Galas in Greece in 2009 and in Japan in 2012. In 2015, together with the Joyce Theater in New York, Daniil spearheaded and produced an evening of contemporary original choreography called “INTENSIO,” which toured the United States and internationally. His latest endeavor is the production of a multi-disciplinary dance installation at the Guggenheim Museum in New York which involves generative video projections and costumes by Dior. Beginning with the 2018-2019 season Daniil joined Staatsballett Berlin as a principal and maintained his position at ABT, performing with both companies as often as his schedule allows. In 2021, Simkin founded the production company Studio Simkin to explore and develop dance opportunities for the next era with the highest production value and artistic standard, encouraging ballet to evolve within a digital environment and for new forums.
Competition Information
Exciting Prizes & Awards
2 x Leotard from new Olga Smirnova Étoile collection by DellaLo'Milano
1 x Gaynor Minden Award by Anastasia Matvienko for “Best Young Ballerina” of Choice
1 x Free entry to BalletStage Summer Intensive ( July 2027)
2 x 50% Entry to BalletStage Summer Intensive (July 2027)
2 x 25% Entry to Balletstage Summer Intensive ( July 2027)
1 x Free entry to BalletStage Summer MasterClass (August 2027)
2 x 50% entry to BalletStage Summer MasterClass (August 2027 )
2 x 25% entry to Balletstage Summer MasterClass ( August 2027)
1 x Male Dancewear Set from Balance by Cherevychko
1 x Ballet warm-up outfit by French ballet brand DansezVous Prize provided by PLESNI BUTIK TIJUANA
1 x Elegant and comfortable 7-layer tulle tutu by DansezVous
2 x Gift Bag with Accessories for Pointe Shoes & Feet
2 x BalletStage Branded Gift Set for Boys & Girls
1 x Private 2 -hour Masterclass with Denis Matvienko (Location:Ljubljana, BALETNA ŠOLA PIRUETA)
1 x Private 2-hour Masterclass with Anastasia Matvienko (Location: Ljubljana, BALETNA ŠOLA PIRUETA)
1 x Special Prize from Valeria Vapniarskaya for “Migliore Talento”, Hand Made Ballet Crown “Sugar Plum Fairy”
2 x Book- “Infinite Steps: Thirty-Three Dancers and Their Lives in Ballet”
