(WXYZ — The Macomb Ballet Company (MBC) is delighted to announce that its longtime member Ava Borngesser, age 18, of Macomb Township received the gold medal in the Senior Division of The Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition, which took place July 21-27 in Holland, Michigan.
Borngesser was awarded the prestigious Maestro Enrico Cecchetti Award ($5,000 cash prize) and a scholarship to The Royal Winnipeg Ballet Summer Intensive. She was a senior candidate of Cecchetti Council of America’s (CCA) team, a group of eleven dancers selected nationally to represent the CCA in the competition and was joined by two fellow Macomb Ballet Company members, Senior Division member Molly Wittwier and Junior Division member Juliet
Criner-Hicks. Criner-Hicks also received scholarships to the Boston Ballet Summer Intensive and Florida Ballet.
Borngesser, a 10-year member of The Macomb Ballet Company, trains at Ann Parsley School of Dance in Shelby Township, MBC’s official training studio. While with MBC, she has performed leading roles in various ballets in the company’s twice-annual productions at Macomb Center for Performing Arts. Borngesser has received numerous awards and scholarships including from YAGP and the CCA Classical Ballet Competition. A recent graduate of Eisenhower High School, she will attend the University of Arizona School of Dance to pursue her career in dance.
The Macomb Ballet Company, Macomb County’s only non-profit ballet company, will host an Open House on Wednesday, August 14 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at 50514 Danview Technology Court in Shelby Township. Guests are invited to MBC to meet the Artistic Directors, tour the studios, and discover performance-enhancing opportunities for dancers ages 8-19. MBC members can train at any dance institution. MBC 24/25 season auditions will be held on August 22 and 29. For additional audition information please visit www.macombballet.org.
