Prix de Lausanne's Elvire Braunschweig Passes Away
Marian Horosko (l) with Elvire Braunscheig
Elvire Braunschweig, 85, who along with her husband, Philippe, co-founded Switzerland's prestigious Prix de Lausanne, passed away on August 5 at her home in Vevey. The Braunschweigs met at the Nice studio of Madame Sedova in 1950, when Philippe was a student at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Elvire, was a white Russian emigre living on the Cote d'Azur. Together, in 1973, they founded the Prix competition that awards scholarships, medals, and cash to prospective young professional dancers 15-18 years of age, who compete at performing selected ballet variations and "free" or modern dance works.
The Braunschweigs worked together for 55 years. They maintained close ties with the international dance world and opened doors by encouraging students from Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia as well as from Western European and South American countries to compete. The Prix winners have become etoiles, members of major ballet companies and have gained worldwide recognition.
Elvire was always a warm and welcoming presence at the competition providing whatever assistance was needed by the contestants to attend classes, workshops, coaching sessions, or meetings with professionals for advice. The awards have always been given through selection by a carefully chosen internationally known jury.
In later years, Elvire discovered her talent for painting. She had two exhibitions at the Nelly L'Eplattenier gallery in Lausanne.
The deadline for documents and application for the 2008 Prix is October 15. For more information on the Prix, set for January 29 to February 3, contact www.prixdelausanne.org. Information is available in eight languages.