Candice Adea - Champion in Ballet Competition

Candice Adea - Champion in Ballet Competition

Candice Adea won First Prize, Senior Women’s Division at the recently concluded Helsinki International Ballet Competition, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. The competition drew 69 dancers from 28 countries, including USA, China, Japan, Finland, Canada, Italy and Cuba, among others.

Adea said she feels “very happy and really honored to be able to wave our Philippine flag in Helsinki, Finland… and, of course, really thankful to all the people who never get tired of supporting and praying for us… our family, Ballet Philippines, Philippine High School for the Arts, our ballet teachers, co-dancers, the Filipino community all over the world especially in Helsinki, Finland and the Philippine Embassy in Finland.”

Candice Adea, Ballet Philippines’ principal dancer, is the most successful Filipina in international ballet competitions, with the most wins and special prizes. She is the first Filipino to be awarded First Prize in a top tier international ballet competition (composed of competitions in Varna, Bulgaria; Jackson, MI, USA; and Moscow, Russia), and joins the list of Filipino ballet dancers who have received international recognition.

Adea’s win caps her illustrious career—in 2010 she won the Silver Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MI, touted as the Olympics of ballet. In 2011, she won special awards at the Boston International Ballet Competition (the Maris Liepa Award for Artistry) and the Third Prize at the Seoul International Dance Competition. With Cordero, she also won the Lead Role in a Russian Ballet Performance in Boston.

Adea's partner and fellow Ballet Philippines principal dancer Jean Marc Cordero was also a  semi-finalist in the competition. He won a Special Jury Award for Best in Pas de Deux Technique (partnering).

As in all their previous competitions, Victor Ursabia, Ballet Philippines’ ballet master and CCP Dance School Director, stood as the pair’s coach and mentor.


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