pv arts
“My ballet success comes from learning from my mistakes and applying corrections.” —Campbelle Malicse
Campbelle dancing the role of Kitri in Act 1 of Don Quixote at YAGP 2023 in Las Vegas.
Rancho Palos Verdes Teen Recognized as a 2023 YoungArts Finalist Written by Cin d y D o n n e l l y | P h o t o b y L K s t u d i o
Excitement abounds for Rancho Palos Verdes resident, Campbelle Malicse. The Palos Verdes Distance Learning Academy junior also studies classical ballet at the Peninsula School of Performing Arts. This year, YoungArts Finalist in Ballet, the organization’s highest honor, recognizes Campbelle’s caliber of artistic achievement as she joins other accomplished young visual, literary, and performing artists throughout the country. As a YoungArts award winner, Campbelle is offered creative and professional development support throughout her career. She is also eligible to be nominated to become a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. YoungArts, the sole nominating agency for this honor, is one of the highest honors given to select high school seniors by our president. As a finalist, Campbelle participated in National YoungArts Week in January in Miami. I asked her what the experience is like; she shares that it is very busy with classes, both in the discipline of classical ballet and in other genres such as hip hop and jazz. Additionally, she experienced acting and poetry classes. Also, opportunities to network with the dance community and explore career options. She also talked with previous winners and was invited to work on helpful projects to promote her future as a dancer. Of the experience she says, “I don’t think I’ve realized the impact YoungArts has on me. It’s like I haven’t yet processed the experience of spending a week with so many talented and creative people.” After returning, Campbelle was back in the dance studio training for the Youth America Grand
Prix (YAGP) competition in Las Vegas held on January 26-29, 2023. She placed in the top 12 in the competition and plans to compete in the next round of YAGP in San Diego in March with hopes of being in the Florida finals in April. When asked about her success in ballet, she reflects, “my ballet success comes from learning from my mistakes and applying corrections.” Her goal is to be a professional dancer, and she hopes to enter the San Francisco Ballet or American Ballet Theater. She also has her eye on European companies such as The Royal Ballet in the U.K. and the Paris Opera Ballet, but she acknowledges the difficulty to get into European companies. To pursue professional dancing, she understands that she may need to attend online college or defer college for a few years. Currently, she works on audition videos for year-round schools and summer intensive programs, including San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and English National Ballet. PV Magazine is very impressed with Campbelle and is excited to see what is next for her. If you want to see Campbelle perform along with other local ballet students, she will be participating in the Peninsula School of Performing Arts production of Swan Lake this coming May; you can visit https:// www.pspadance.com/ as the date gets closer for details. For more information on the YoungArts competition open to artists, 15-18 years old (or in grades 10-12) visit https://youngarts.org/ 2023 | March | PVMagazine | 41
