Young Fil-Am to dance in prestigious int’l ballet competition

Alexandra Ina Rose Bocca will compete in the International Ballet Competition Varna, in Bulgaria. CONTRIBUTED

PORT CHESTER, New York — Ballet des Amériques dancer Alexandra Ina Rose Bocca has been accepted into the prestigious International Ballet Competition Varna in Varna, Bulgaria in July. Bocca will compete in the Junior category (ages 15-19).

IBC Varna is a bi-yearly competition, established in 1964, for pre-professional students and young professional dancers. Famous dancers such as Sylvie Guillem, Natalia Markova, and Mikhail Baryshnikov have competed at Varna. The competition encompasses three rounds were dancers must perform classical ballet and contemporary variations (solos). In the history of IBC Varna, dancers from 40 countries have participated in the competition.

Alexandria Ina Rose moved to the United States from the Philippines in 2010 and became a Ballet des Amériques student of Carole Alexis at the age of 10. She has trained intensively with Alexis for the past 7 years, 6 times a week, while receiving additional training in music, Flamenco, modern dance etc. Always achieving great results in academics, Alexandria Ina Rose made a choice very early on to become a professional dancer.

Consequently, she joined conservatory program of Ballet des Amériques and switched to online academic education. Alexandria Ina Rose was accepted into the 2017 summer intensives of Juilliard, Bolshoi, American Ballet theatre and in the dance program of the Opera de Paris in 2016 in the superior level, previously in 2014 in the level moyen. Alexandria Ina Rose was invited to join the company as a trainee to enhance and develop artistry and receive professional experience before graduation.

So as not to compromise the development and artistic integrity of her students and dancers, Ballet des Amériques director and choreographer Carole Alexis makes the conscious choice of entering them only into very few and highly prestigious competitions such as the legendary Varna International Ballet Competition. ”

“At Ballet des Amériques, we take great care to train dancers to become Artists with a capital ‘A’,” says Alexis, who will be coaching and preparing Alexandria for this competition. Alexis will continue to prepare and teach the next generation of dancers of the Ballet des Amériques conservatory, who will most likely be given the same opportunity to compete when their time comes.