“The competition, named after the dancer and training organization’s co-founder, Adeline Genée, has been running annually since 1931.Only since 2000 has the Genée competition taken place outside London. The 57 semi-finalists, all but eight of them female, are ballet students aged 15 to 19, who passed the academy’s Advanced 2 examination with distinction or have been awarded a Solo Seal. This year’s candidates come from Australia, Canada, Britain, the U.S. and from as far away as Indonesia and Brazil, all told 11 of the 79 countries where the Royal Academy of Dance is active. “