“I hope you’re going to enjoy this wonderful, new ballet. And the music, of course.” That was part of the tongue-in-cheek audio-only introduction courtesy of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, unveiling his and partner Melanie Hamrick’s ballet inspired by the music of the rocker’s band. Dubbed Porte Rogue, it...
Hundreds of ballet hopefuls turned out Friday to Huntington Beach High School to compete in the semifinals for the Youth America Grand Prix, the largest nonprofit international student ballet competition and scholarship program for students aged 9 to 19. A panel of judges, comprising professional dancers and dance company...
Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen Last night, ballet enthusiasts gathered at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater for the Youth America Grand Prix’s Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala. Guided by master of ceremonies Keltie Knight, the evening began with a brilliant showcase by the finalists...
For the past week, young ballet performers have been giving it their all. The world’s largest network of dancers, the Youth America Grand Prix, had gathered the most promising names in ballet from around the world to work with masters to perfect their craft. The result? A two-hour opus...
NEW YORK – Talk about your “Moves Like Jagger.” The recovering rocker made a stealth appearance at the ballet, slipping backstage to support his partner, Melanie Hamrick, as she presented her new dance based on Rolling Stones songs. It was Hamrick’s first work as choreographer, with a score arranged...
Amid the constant air raid sirens and shelling near her home in Kyiv, 17-year-old Polina Chepyk tried to fill her days with dancing. Her ballet school had shut down, so she stretched and spun in the apartment she shared with her parents and 8-year-old sister, Anfisa. Chepyk used the...
It’s hard to imagine the ballet landscape today without Youth America Grand Prix. The annual competition attracts thousands of young dancers from all over the world, many hoping to win a scholarship to a major ballet school. This year, which marks the organization’s 20th anniversary, roughly 12,000 students participated...
Cory Stearns was feeling cocky. It was 2001, and he was 15, competing in the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition. As he took the stage to perform a solo from “Swan Lake,” some students from his school cheered, and he winked back. Then the start...
The Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is a big deal in the dance world. Dancers audition for scholarships to attend prestigious schools. For ballet companies, it’s a kind of pipeline as they look for the next generation of professional dancers. Competitions are held in cities around the world. When...
“When the war started and we lost everything …” Oksana Zhuravlova trails off, searching for the words to continue. She takes a breath and tries again. “When the war started, it was like life ended,” she says, her voice quavering with emotion. “And when we heard that our daughter...
Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s largest ballet scholarship organization, will present a Pas de Deux Virtual Competition June 26–28. Over 12,000 aspiring dancers ages 9 to 19 danced at YAGP’s 2020 regional auditions around the globe. The three highest ranked Pas de Deux performances from each of the 34...
“I am confident we can get back to the theater, we are just not sure when.” Larissa Saveliev discusses the future of #YAGP and her plan to come back stronger after #COVID-19 #2020 and more To continue reading please click on the button below…
Over 1,000 dancers from around the world were slated to descend on New York this week to participate in Youth America Grand Prix’s final round. But like most events around the country, the annual ballet scholarship competition — dubbed the largest in the world — was canceled amid the COVID-19...
When he was 5 years old, Alex Westerman saw a holiday favorite, “The Nutcracker” ballet, on television. “I said, ‘I want to do that, it looks so cool,’ ” he recalled. “I called to my mom and said, ‘What is that? Can I do that?’ ” “That” was ballet, and...
Hundreds of regional dancers, between age 9 to 19, will take workshops, classes and audition at the Youth America Grand Prix in Edmonds, hoping to make the Finals Week in New York City in April where they can compete for scholarships to schools and companies. Alexei Moskalenko, YAGP assistant artistic...
TAMPA, Fla. – It could be called the American Idol of ballet, and it’s going on right now in Tampa. Hundreds of talented student dancers, ages 9-19, are auditioning for the Youth America Grand Prix. To continue reading please click on the button below…
Students with highest scores continue to the finals at lincoln center at we have barry with a look at the competition at the straz center. great.a ballet lover, you can have a feast for days if you don’t know a lot about ballet, think olympics. it’s like the olympics of...
Ahead of their upcoming “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” show, the Next Generation Ballet performed in the Daytime studio. To continue reading please click on the button below…
This week, over a thousand dancers travelled to New York to participate in Youth America Grand Prix’s high-stake finals. Over the course of six days, young ballet dancers ages 9 to 19 filled the halls of SUNY Purchase for intense rounds of competitions and scholarship classes — the outcome of...
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are twinning… quite literally! The former Full House actresses, 32, made a rare red carpet appearance together on Thursday night at the Youth America Grand Prix’s 20th Anniversary Gala in New York City. The outing was particularly special as the twin sisters, who grew up in...
On Thursday evening, Mick Jagger made his first public appearance since undergoing heart surgery. The Rolling Stones frontman — who had a stent put in an artery earlier this month — attended the Youth America Grand Prix’s 20th-anniversary gala to see his girlfriend Melanie Hamrick debut a ballet that’s set...
Cory Stearns was feeling cocky. It was 2001, and he was 15, competing in the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition. As he took the stage to perform a solo from “Swan Lake,” some students from his school cheered, and he winked back. Then the start of...
Dear friends, As we near the Youth America Grand Prix 20th Anniversary Season Finals, we look back on the past twenty years with a sense of gratitude and awe. When we started YAGP in 1999, it was hard to imagine its future. It is incredible to realize that one day...
NEW YORK – Yuma Matsuura of Japan has won the senior age division at the Youth America Grand Prix audition for promising young ballet dancers, the organizer said Friday. As there was no Grand Prix award winner in the senior division for dancers between 15 and 19, the 15-year-old from...
“Look around this room,” exclaimed Youth America Grand Prix Board Member Terry Zucker, panning around the Promenade of the David H. Koch Theater, at YAGP’s “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” Gala. In it mingled New York’s Junior social set, balletomanes, young dancers in tutus and established stars...
Like The Final Round, this year’s YAGP Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala went off very smoothly, but for one hitch that was not YAGP’s doing. Indeed, at least in terms of organization, this year’s incarnation was superior to those I’ve previously seen. Having the Grand Defile...
The world’s largest international dance competition brings talented youngsters, ages 9 – 19, from regional ballet competitions in Brazil, France, Mexico, Spain, Australia, China, Korea and Japan for a week-long final competition in New York City. The dancers compete for scholarships to the world’s leading dance schools. Youth America has...
I don’t know how the staff of Youth America Grand Prix manages to pull it off every year, but somehow they do. I can’t speak to the preliminary rounds of the 2018 incarnation of YAGP’s NY Finals, which this year were located in Purchase, N.Y. rather than in any of...
Any group that aids in advancing the careers of young ballet dancers warms our heart. Non-profit organization Youth America Grand Prix has made this their mission in ensuring the future of dance. Every April, YAGP brings the world’s most talented young dancers from the ages of 9-19 to New York...
To go home a winner from the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), the world’s foremost student dance competition, you need talent, virtuosity and a certain je ne sais quoi. But in the wings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s theatre on Saturday afternoon, the first contest was for space. Dozens...
This past Monday, The Boys’ Club of New York held its annual Winter Luncheon with Thomas L. Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist and best-selling author, as the featured speaker. His talk was entitled How to Run a Country, Find a Job, and Build Community in the...
Hundreds of ballet dancers — ages 9 to 19 — from all over Utah are auditioning this weekend at the Marriott Center in Salt Lake City in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) regional semi-finals. Selected competitors will continue on to the finals in New York City in April. YAGP...
Young ballet dancers competed this weekend for scholarships at the Young America Grand Prix regional semi-finals in Worcester. The dancers, age 9 to 19, came from all over Massachusetts and elsewhere in New England. The group awards more than $250,000 in scholarships each year to send dancers to schools and...
Hundreds of ballet dancers between the ages of 9 and 19 have been auditioning in Chicago at the Youth America Grand Prix regional semifinals. Chicago is one of more than 20 North American cities selecting finalists to compete in the finals in April at Lincoln Center in New York City....
Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of dancing around downtown Atlanta this weekend. Hundreds of ballet dancers – ages 9 to 19 – from the Atlanta area will be auditioning this weekend for the Youth America Grand Prix regional semi-finals at Georgia Institute of Technology Ferst Center for...
The 2018 Youth America Grand Prix regional semifinals were held at the University of Denver’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts January, 12-14. Two hundred and forty-six ballet dancers – ages 9 to 19 – from the Denver area auditioned for scholarships to send young dancers to leading schools and...
For the past week, young ballet performers have been giving it their all. The world’s largest network of dancers, the Youth America Grand Prix, had gathered the most promising names in ballet from around the world to work with masters to perfect their craft. The result? A two-hour opus unfolding...
Congratulations to the 2018 YAGP winners! After months of semi-finals, 1,800 dancers from around the world were chosen to attend a week of finals in New York, competing for ballet scholarships and contracts. We’ve been following the action all week (you can catch up on our backstage coverage, here). The...
