OVIEDO — Ballerinas Maya Plisetskaya and Tamara Rojo, principal dancer of London’s Royal Ballet, were named as joint winners of the 2005 Prince of Asturias Prize for the arts.

Also in the running for the honour were architect Frank Gehry, conductor Claudio Abbado and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

Maya Plisetskaya, a Russian-born Spanish citizen known as ‘The Queen of the Air’ is a legend in classic ballet.

The 79-year-old Plisetskaya was the director of Spain’s National Classic Ballet from 1987 to 1990 and returned recently to teach at the Teatro Madrid.

Tamara Rojo, who was born in 1974, has also taught the traditions and essence of classic ballet to professional dancers at the Teatro Madrid.

Rojo is in the prime of her career, working with masters of the art from around the world and dancing on top stages.

Among the past winners of the Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts were Paco de Lucia, Miquel Barcelo, Woody Allen, Krzysztof Penderecki and Barbara Hendricks.

The Prince of Asturias awards, which offer a cash prize and a reproduction of a statuette designed by Joan Miro, will be handed out at a ceremony in autumn in Oviedo.

Awarded by Spain’s crown prince Felipe, the prizes are regarded as the Ibero-American world’s equivalent of the Nobel’s.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news