Cecchetti International will be hosting its Classical Ballet Competition for 2011 at the Lowry Theatre in Manchester in July 2011. The competition is held biannually in different host countries. The competition, which attracts young dancers still studying at vocational dance schools, is a showcase of the high standards that can be reached by students practicing the Cecchetti method of dance.

For the first time, Malta will have a representative at this competition. 17-year-old Keith Micallef, a student at The Dance Workshop has successfully auditioned to participate in the competition next July. Keith, who started attending a daily ballet under the direction of Theresa Lungaro-Mifsud class just over four years ago, recently passed his Advanced 2 ballet examination with Distinction. During the competition Keith will be adjudicated for both classical and contemporary dance styles. He will be presenting the Blue Bird Variation from Act 3 Sleeping Beauty as well as a short contemporary solo by Francesca Abela Tranter.