NOVITZKY (left) with Poláková. photo: File Photo |
The recepient, Nina Poláková, 18, was deemed the best Slovak ballet dancer, the youngest in the award's history, for her portrayal of Nikie in La Bayadere and her two roles in Swan Lake. Roman Novitzky, 19, became the most significant new talent thanks to the main characters he played in The Wooden Prince and La Bayadere.
Poláková and Novitzky, both soloists at the Slovak National Theatre (SND), also appeared in the Caligula premiere.
Poláková has successfully participated in many international ballet competitions: She placed second at the OTR Contest in Vienna in 2001, and first at the Brno Ballet Competition in 2000. She was the only European to enter the finals of Prix de Lausanne 2003. Novitzky has also participated in various international contests, winning second place at St Polten in 1998. Both dancers performed at the SND in the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.
The Philip Morris Ballet Flower Award was first given in 1977 in Finland. Since 1995 it has also been annually awarded in Slovakia. Its first recipient was Jozef Dolinský Jr, the leading soloist of the SND Ballet and a member of this year's six-member jury led by the SND Ballet's director, Emil T Bartko.