Ballet students shine in competitions

Two ballet students from Huntington Beach were recognized nationally and internationally recently.

Bryn Gilbert, a junior from Laurel Springs School in Orange County, won the grand prize — first place in the ballet category — at the 2008 Music Center’s Spotlight Awards.

Gilbert is a classically trained student at Southland Ballet Academy in Fountain Valley.

During the 2008 competition season, Gilbert was also a finalist in the Senior Division of Youth America Grand Prix in New York. During that competition, ballet companies around the world took notice. Technically proficient, Gilbert was the only American dancer to be awarded a full scholarship, roughly $50,000 in value, to the Royal Ballet School.

The Music Center Spotlight Awards program is a nationally acclaimed recognition and scholarship program for Southern California high school performing and visual artists.

Jamie Kopit, also a Southland Ballet Academy student, was a finalist in the junior division of Youth America Grand Prix in New York, which awards scholarships to the leading dance schools in the U.S. and abroad.

— Jennifer Frehn