UNCSA Dance alumnus wins at Prix de Lausanne

Winston-Salem native and UNCSA High School Dance and Preparatory Dance Program alumnus William “Will” Gyves, 18, has won at the Finals of the 2026 Prix de Lausanne, held this past weekend at the Beaulieu Theatre in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Prix is one of the most prestigious dance competitions in the world.

Gyves won one of 14 prizes awarded, a Dance Scholarship from the Fondation Caris, a Swiss-based charitable foundation focused on supporting emerging talent in the arts. Gyves also won the Best Swiss Candidate Award, offered by the Fondation Jacqueline de Cerenville.

“To win a globally recognized competition is a major achievement,” said UNCSA School of Dance Dean Endalyn T. Outlaw. "As a Winston-Salem native who began in our Preparatory Dance Program, Will’s story is one of perseverance and triumph — of pursuing his passion from an early age and growing into the versatile, dynamic dancer he is today. His future is bright and filled with promise, a remarkable journey that includes representing UNCSA at the Prix de Lausanne in 2023, where even then he exemplified the depth and quality of training our program offers young dancers.”

Gyves started in UNCSA’s Preparatory Dance Program in 2016 at age nine under the tutelage of alumnus Matthew Donnell, former director of Prep Dance, reports alumna and current Prep Dance Director Monica Stephenson. Gyves was accepted into the UNCSA School of Dance Ballet Program in 2021. He received a High School Diploma from UNCSA in 2025.

While he was attending UNCSA, Gyves was mentored and coached by School of Dance Professor of Ballet Mikhail “Misha” Tchoupakov, including his 2023 Prix de Lausanne competition. There, he became a Finalist and received a scholarship to the widely acclaimed Zurich Dance Academy in Switzerland, which he represented this time at the 2026 Prix, where his coach was Akos Sebestyen.

“William is a very hard-working, intelligent dancer who deserves this win. He strategically and consistently improves his process, continuing to grow as a performer,” said Tchoupakov, who was in Switzerland to witness his former student’s triumph. “He grew up and became an artist with the highest level of technique and artistic maturity, especially in his contemporary dance performance.”

Competing professionally since age 10, Gyves has earned first place in the IDANCE International Ballet Competition and the Grand Jeté International Dance Awards; has been a Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) finalist and semifinalist numerous times; and received best solo and best group in the International Online Ballet Competition; in addition to several other placements.

He has an extensive performance portfolio including soloist in 2023’s “The Next Stop Is...” by Tom Gold at UNCSA and dancing a variety of roles for the annual UNCSA performances of "The Nutcracker" as early as 2016, including the Nutcracker, Mirliton, Fritz and Trepak. He has also appeared with the Triad International Ballet and the Artistic Motion School of Dance, both in Greensboro, North Carolina. Internationally, he has danced numerous roles at the Zurich Academy; the Spoleto Festival in Italy; the Vivi Molle Balletschule in Basel, Switzerland; in Bregenz, Austria; and at the 2020 Bolshoi Ballet Academy Gala in Moscow.

There were 444 applicants from 43 countries who sent video auditions for the 2026 Prix de Lausanne. A total of 79 dancers from 18 countries were selected to participate in the competition’s selection rounds, and 21 of them reached the Finals. At the conclusion of the Finals, the jury, chaired by Royal Ballet Director Kevin O’Hare, selected 14 prizewinners.

Created in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is an international ballet competition for young dancers aged 15-18 years old. Its goal is to discover, promote and support the finest talents around the world.

In recent years six other UNCSA students have been selected to compete at the Prix de Lausanne: Jett Lecamu of Winston-Salem, in 2021; Evelyn Robinson of Flint, Texas, in 2020; Eric Kim from Chapel Hill, in 2019; Daniella Thorne from San Francisco, in 2018; Brett Coppa from San Pedro, California, in 2017; and Sierra Armstrong of Advance, in 2015.

Celebrated ballerina and UNCSA alumna Gillian Murphy, who just retired from American Ballet Theatre in 2025, won the prestigious Prix “Espoir” in 1995, marking the beginning of a brilliant international career. The beloved late dancer and UNCSA alumnus Edward Stierle became only the second American to win the Gold Medal at the Prix de Lausanne in 1985.

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