Cecchetti Ballet Australia’s 2025 Choreographic Competition

Published in Print May 2025 order now!

view photo gallery | Cecchetti Ballet Australia’s 2025 Choreographic Competition

Images and words by Danielle Brown

The 2025 Cecchetti Ballet Australia Choreographic Competition, held on 30 March at The McDonald College in New South Wales, welcomed an adjudicator of exceptional calibre — Georgette Sofatzis-Xuereb. A name held in high regard across both Australian and international contemporary dance scenes, Sofatzis-Xuereb brought a refreshing and insightful perspective to this year’s event, offering thoughtful feedback shaped by years of global performance and teaching experience.

Born in Sydney in 1991, Georgette’s journey as a dancer, educator and choreographer spans continents and genres. Armed with an Honours degree from the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance School in New York City — where she specialised in the Horton Technique and Dance Performance — her artistic pedigree is exceptional. She has worked with acclaimed choreographers such as Matthew Rushing, Sidra Bell and Manuel Vignoulle, and performed Alvin Ailey’s iconic Memoria with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2013. Her career has taken her across the United States with the Alvin Ailey Junior Company, and onto the stages of the Scottish Dance Theatre and Russell Maliphant Company in London.

Now based back in Australia, Georgette continues to influence the future of dance through her contemporary company and program, DANCEFORMATION, where she mentors aspiring professional dancers aged 17 to 28. Her holistic approach to training is grounded in her Advanced Diploma in Clinical Pilates and Exercise Science, and current postgraduate study in Exercise Physiology at the University of Wollongong. This blend of anatomical knowledge and creative artistry was clearly reflected in her adjudication style.

Throughout the competition, Sofatzis-Xuereb highlighted the distinct nature of choreographic performance.
“A choreographic competition is quite different from, say, a classical ballet awards comp,” she explained. “There’s more emphasis on integrating technique with abstract elements, using the space effectively, and bringing ideas to life. I’m looking for how well they communicate what they’re trying to say.”

Her approach, viewing dance as both a technical discipline and a conceptual art form, shaped her evaluations across both junior and senior divisions. She acknowledged the juniors often had “less awareness of those kinds of details”, but praised their spatial awareness and growing creative instincts.

“In comparison to the juniors, the seniors definitely had a more mature approach,” she observed. “But even some of the juniors showed a really strong grasp of dynamics too.”

Sofatzis-Xuereb was especially impressed by senior performer Olivia Hayes-Marshall, noting her ability to weave together different movement qualities and dynamic shifts.
“She used her technique to express exactly what she wanted — and brought in abstract elements as well. I love that, when dancers can draw on so many different textures in one piece.”

This kind of performance — balancing precision with expressive exploration — captures the essence of contemporary dance, she added.
“It was a great contrast of dynamics. Those shifts in energy really brought depth to the work.”

Georgette is also passionate about choreography’s role in shaping dancers beyond performance.
“If you can choreograph, it makes you a better dancer,” she said. “You start to understand what’s going on in the choreographer’s or teacher’s brain. It’s such a valuable skill — especially for teaching — because it helps you learn how to communicate ideas, and how to interpret what’s being asked.”

Her feedback reflected a dancer-centred philosophy rooted in empathy, adaptability and a respect for individual difference.
“We’ve all got different bodies,” she said simply. “What I’m good at isn’t going to be the same as what someone else is good at. But you still need to understand how to interpret movement — in your own way, with your own body.”

Throughout the day, Sofatzis-Xuereb’s tone remained open and encouraging. Rather than imposing rigid expectations, she approached each piece as a dialogue — between movement and meaning, dancer and audience, creator and interpreter.

Her adjudication was described by many as thoughtful, articulate and generous — offering young dancers more than critique: she offered insight, direction and affirmation. In many ways, her presence at the event reflected her life’s work — to support and elevate the next generation of artists, not just physically, but creatively and conceptually.

As Cecchetti Ballet Australia continues to evolve classical training through platforms like this competition, adjudicators like Georgette Sofatzis-Xuereb — who blend technical rigour with humanity and artistic depth — are not just welcome, but essential.

Olivia Hayes-Marshall: Expressing Emotion Through Movement

Winner – Contemporary/Abstract Senior Solo (Ages 14–18), Alegria Dance Studios
Recipient – Valrene Tweedy Trophy for Most Outstanding of the Competition
Olivia Hayes-Marshall, representing Alegria Dance Studios, claimed top honours in the Contemporary/Abstract Senior Solo category with her original work Disturbance—a striking piece that also earned her the prestigious Valrene Tweedy Trophy for Most Outstanding of the Competition. The experience, though triumphant, unfolded at lightning speed.

“I only found out I was doing it a week ago,” Olivia said. “I choreographed it in two days, then spent the last three days cleaning and refining. It all happened really fast.”

Created specifically for the event, Disturbance struck a deep chord with both audiences and adjudicators. While the timeline was tight, Olivia embraced the intensity—and leaned into the expressive potential of choreography.

“Choreography is how I express what I’m feeling, what I want to say,” she explained. “Just like any art form, it’s about meaning and impact. I want my work to connect with people emotionally.”

That desire to tell stories through movement has been with her from an early age. “I’ve been dancing around since I was little—putting on hour-long shows in the lounge room for my parents,” she laughed.

She credits choreography with deepening her understanding of dance as a whole. “It definitely makes me a better dancer. When I’m in someone else’s work, I can really understand where they’re coming from.”

As for her creative process, Olivia says it all begins with intention. “I usually start with the idea—what I want to say—then I find music that fits and immerse myself in it. Everything needs to work together. You can’t compromise on that.”

Her performance in Disturbance was a vivid embodiment of that philosophy: bold, emotionally charged, and unapologetically her own.

Cecchetti Ballet Australia