Shelly Power leads class at Houston Ballet Academy.
Houston Ballet Academy’s director of 11 years, Shelly Power, will be leaving to take on a new position: artistic director and CEO of the international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne, effective in September. She is the first in the annual competition’s history to become both the artistic and business leader. She succeeds current artistic director Amanda Bennett, who has held the position since 2012.
The Prix de Lausanne has been showcasing the ballet world’s top young talent, ages 15 to 18, for the past 44 years. The competition takes place each January and February in Lausanne, Switzerland. Prize winners receive ballet school scholarships and company apprenticeships. Past winners include First Position star Miko Fogarty, ballet renegade Sergei Polunin, “So You Think You Can Dance” competitor Alex Wong and American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet principal Maria Kochetkova.
Photo: by Amitava Sarkar, courtesy of Houston Ballet
