Category: Other Bursaries

The Sunday Telegraph recently published the story of Henry Perkins’ history making graduation from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow on Friday 25th June 2010 – he is the first British ballet dancer to ever graduate in their 237 years of existence. In fact, he is one of only a handful of non-Russians to have ever completed the full diploma course since the fall of the Soviet Union allowed foreigners to train there.

The story ran on Sunday 27th June 2010 under the title “A fairy tale comes true for Briton at the Bolshoi”.
You can read the Telegraph article online here..
Henry Perkins, 19, is first Briton to graduate from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy
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A similar story appeared on the BBC news site..
Ballet boy is first British Bolshoi graduate

He has now been offered a contract with the Estonian National Ballet in Tallin later this year.

Congratulations Henry!
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* Henry was given a bursary by the Lisa Wilson Charity Fund back in 2006. You can read our first post about him here..

Some exciting news about Henry as he starts to make history for this country…………….

Henry makes his debut on the Bolshoi stage on Friday with a major part in the premiere of Yuri Grigorovich’s new/revived La Fille Mal Gardee full length ballet. This will be a ‘first’ for a Brit! He will now be dancing all 3 performances over the weekend as the second cast dancer is injured and cannot dance his performance. They then go on tour – Barcelona over New Year for 2 weeks and then on to Washington DC, with more locations to be announced. He may also be dancing The Nutcracker Pas de Deux in Barcelona in the Mixed Bill performances.

(more photos on facebook)

Henry standing outside the entrance to Red Square, June 2009

Henry Perkins, the dancer who received a bursary from the LWSF sponsors has just finished his third year at The Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Continue reading “Update – Henry Perkins in Moscow”

Henry Perkins, the young British dance student whom the Lisa Wilson Scholarship Fund has sponsored, has just received the highest set of dance examinations results for any non-Russian ballet student in the history of The Bolshoi Ballet School – he was also awarded more than full marks for two disciplines and beat all the Russians at Russian national Dance! He is currently in New York where the school has taken him to demonstrate pas de deux, repertoire and Russian national Dance – the first non-Russian they have ever taken anywhere to demonstrate for them.

We recently received an update about Henry Perkins, the Hampshire boy who received a bursary last year to study ballet at the Bolshoi Academy in Russia.

Henry has been doing very well, and has just had his next two years at the academy confirmed. He is currently in Boston for five weeks on a summer scholarship from Boston Ballet for their Summer Program for older ballet students.

Henry (2nd from left) with his teacher Ilya Kuznetsov, and some of his fellow students at the academy

Click here to read the full update on Henry’s progress