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N E W S L E T T E R
Fall 2023
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Dear Friends,
As we continue to give thanks for all the things and people we're grateful for, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all of you - our participants, parents, teachers, and friends around the world - for being part of the world’s largest dance family.
Thanks to the support of people like you, YAGP has become the #1 source of talent for the world’s leading dance schools and companies. For the past 25 years, our mission of providing education, performance, and scholarship opportunities to talented young artists of all backgrounds has expanded beyond what we could have possibly imagined when we started in 1999 - and we are grateful to each and every one of you for playing a part in helping YAGP ensure the future of dance and nurture the next generation of talented young artists.
As we usher in the holiday season, we are excited to share a a few highlights from the YAGP 25th Anniversary Semi-Final Tour: our largest to date. Stay tuned for more to come, and again, Happy Thanksgiving from our YAGP family to yours.
With gratitude,
Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev
Founders, Youth America Grand Prix
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YAGP 25th Anniversary Season
Fall Semi-Finals
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The YAGP 25th Anniversary Season international audition tour began in South Korea in August. The Korea Semi-Final, headed by YAGP Alumna and Trustee Hee Seo, Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theatre and YGP Korea Ambassador, was filled with remarkable talent as always - and numerous scholarships were presented by YAGP scholarship presenters around the world.
The jury panel included Hee Seo along with José Carayol (Director of Artistic Programmes, Royal Ballet School, UK), Aram Manukyan (Director of Trainee Program, Alberta Ballet, CANADA), and Cristina Sasso (Resident Ballet Mistress and Talent Scout, European School of Ballet, NETHERLANDS).
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KangWon Lee (Korea National University of Arts), Senior Men 2nd Place Winner | |
Jiyoung In (Sunhwa Arts Middle School), Junior Women 1st Place Winner | |
Cristina Sasso, Aram Manukyan, Hee Seo, José Carayol | |
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL 🇧🇷
This year's Brazil semi-final marked a historic occasion: YAGP became the very first youth ballet competition to be conducted at the majestic Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro. It served as the Final Round for Brazilian dancers following preliminary auditions in Porto Alegre, Fortaleza, and Joinville - where YAGP was honored to partner with the Festival de Dança Joinville for its 40th Anniversary. As always, the Brazilian participants delighted the audiences with their talent, excitement, and passion for dance.
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Beatriz Handan, Studio Arte Dança | | |
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺
After several years of successful workshops, master classes, and scholarship auditions in the country, YAGP was thrilled to host its first official semi-final competition in Sydney.
More than 100 scholarship offers were presented to dancers from all over Australia and New Zealand, paving the way for the next generation of local talent to flourish in YAGP partner institutions around the world.
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Lauren Wycherley (Papilio Atelier, NEW ZEALAND), Grand Prix Winner | | | |
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SINGAPORE 🇸🇬
This season, YAGP is thrilled to hold its inaugural Singapore audition workshop, where dancers from the entire Asia Pacific region gathered for a series of master classes. Master teachers and scholarship presenters included Luca Masala (Artistic Director, Princess Grace Academy, MONACO), Maria Eichwald (Faculty, John Cranko School of the Stuttgart Ballet, GERMANY), Sergey Konstantinov (Australian Ballet School, AUSTRALIA), and Giuseppe Bausilio (Broadway star).
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MANILA, PHILLIPPINES 🇵🇭
This fall, YAGP retuned to the Philippines for the second time. Led by Stella Abrera, Chair of the Jury and Artistic Director of the ABT JKO School, the semi-final welcomed participants from across the Philippines as well as Singapore, China, and Taiwan.
Talented young dancers were offered scholarships from several YAGP scholarship-presenting schools including the ABT JKO School (USA), John Cranko School of the Stuttgart Ballet (GERMANY), Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), and many other YAGP partner programs.
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Stella Abrera, Artistic Director, American Ballet Theatre JKO School (USA) | |
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OSAKA, JAPAN 🇯🇵
One of the largest events on YAGP's international audition tour, this year's Japan Semi-Final saw more than 1,000 participants who presented dazzling performances for an international jury panel of 20 directors representing nearly every major dance school worldwide - a "who's who" of ballet!
Hundreds of scholarships were awarded to the world’s most prestigious dance schools - including the Australian Ballet School (AUSTRALIA), European School of Ballet (NETHERLANDS), John Cranko School of the Stuttgart Ballet (GERMANY), Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), Royal Ballet School (UK), and numerous others.
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Eita Akita (Wakui Ballet School), Junior Men 3rd Place Classical Winner | | |
Kenta Kura, Director, K-BALLET ACADEMY/SCHOOL (JAPAN) | |
Stephanine Ricciardi, Ballet Mistress Assistant of the First Ballet Master and Artistic Coordinators, Ballett Dortmund/ NRW Juniorballett (GERMANY) | |
Jason Beechey, Rector, Palucca University of Dance Dresden (GERMANY) | | |
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CORDOBA, MEXICO 🇲🇽
In October, YAGP returned to the historic town of Cordoba for its highly-anticipated annual tradition in Mexico: a lively week of performances and master classes with esteemed members of the YAGP jury, along with two spectacular Gala performances.
This year marked the 20th Anniversary of YAGP in Mexico, where it has opened the door for thousands of Mexican dancers into the international world of dance.
This year’s event brought together a jury panel representing YAGP scholarship presenters from all over the world, including the Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), Royal Ballet School (UK), Canada's National Ballet School (CANADA), as well as Houston Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Ballet Hispánico (USA).
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Fabrizzio Ulloa (Royal Ballet School), YAGP 2023 Grand Prix Winner and scholarship recipient | |
Morgan Ligon (ABT JKO School), YAGP 2023 Hope Award Winner and scholarship recipient | |
Sascha Radetsky, Artistic Director, ABT Studio Company (USA) | |
Peter Stark, President and Director, The Rock School for Dance Education (USA) | |
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PARIS, FRANCE 🇫🇷
In 2012, YAGP became the first outside organization in Paris Opera Ballet School’s 300-year history to be welcomed into its historic building.
More than 10 years later, we are honored to continue offering this unique educational experience for young dancers to take master classes within the School's famed halls at YAGP's annual Paris Semi-Final.
This year's event welcomed participants from 28 countries around the world, with a preeminent jury panel of directors from leading dance schools across Europe and North America, chaired by POBS Artistic Director, Élisabeth Platel.
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Natalie Vikner, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris (FRANCE) | |
Darius-Oriol Tamosi, Conservatorío Internacional de Ballet e Dança Annarella Sanchez (PORTUGAL) | |
Mika Weiss, Danse Académie Vevey (SWITZERLAND) | | |
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JAKARTA, INDONESIA 🇮🇩
The YAGP 25th Anniversary Season International Semi-Finals Tour continued in Indonesia. We were delighted to return to Jakarta, this time with an even more extensive schedule of performances and master classes. The distinguished members of the YAGP jury panel included Dimitri Magitov, Faculty Member, John Cranko School of the Stuttgart Ballet (GERMANY); Gioia Masala, Faculty Member, Princess Grace Academy (MONACO); and Sarawanee Tanatanit, Former Dancer, American Ballet Theatre (USA). The event was once again brimming with promising young talent!
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BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA 🇦🇷
Argentina is well known for its lively, energetic spirit, and this year's YAGP Semi-Final in Buenos Aires was no exception. Dancers from across South America took part in onstage performances at the state-of-the-art Auditorio Belgrano and attended master classes with a jury panel from Europe and the U.S., complete with numerous scholarship opportunities for talented young dancers from the region.
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Martina Noguera, Escuela de Danzas Leticia Martínez (PARAGUAY) | | |
UNITED STATES 🇺🇸
With record participation at YAGP Semi-Finals across the United States, the 25th Anniversary U.S. Tour is already off to a thrilling and exciting start!
Dancers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, and San Diego took to the YAGP stage with grace and aplomb - and enjoyed master classes with the jury members, who represented a diverse group of dance institutions across North America. Hundreds of scholarship offers have already been presented by YAGP partner schools both in the U.S. and abroad, and we look forward to continuing the U.S. semi-final tour this January and beyond!
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Ekaterina Pichkova, Osipova Ballet Academy, YAGP Chicago Youth Grand Prix Winner | | |
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✨ SAVE THE DATE ✨
YAGP 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Lincoln Center | New York City | April 17-19, 2024
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With 15 international semi-final auditions and 32 in the US. & Canada, this year is the most exciting yet - culminating in the YAGP 25th Anniversary Celebration at Lincoln Center. YAGP will return to its longtime artistic home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, for the Final Rounds of the competition and two spectacular Gala performances.
See the stars of the world's leading dance companies share the stage with the world's most exciting young dance talent. Different casts, different programs - each an UNFORGETTABLE EVENING OF DANCE!
We hope you join us in April 2024 to celebrate 25 years of Youth America Grand Prix ensuring the future of dance. For tickets and more information, click the link below.
*Use promo code EARLYBIRD to receive 25% off your ticket order through February 15, 2024. Limited seats available.
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For GALA TICKETS including GALA DINNER WITH THE DANCERS directly following the performance, please contact Deni Hirsh, YAGP Managing Director of Development, at [email protected] or by phone at 901.508.2353.
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THE YAGP JOB FAIR IS BACK! | |
A one-stop audition for 30+ U.S. and International dance companies, open to dancers ages 17-24, the YAGP 2024 Job Fair will be held in two locations. | | |
Last season, the YAGP Job Fair returned for the first time as a standalone event, with over 70 offers extended to dancers from around the world. Click HERE to see some of the success stories. We are proud to once again offer the Job Fair in two locations as part of the YAGP 25th Anniversary Season. | |
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EUROPE | Stuttgart, GERMANY; Hosted by the John Cranko Schule and Stuttgart Ballet
February 10-11, 2024
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USA | Nashville, TN; Hosted by Nashville Ballet
February 24-25, 2024
The YAGP 2024 JOB FAIR at both locations will feature an impressive line-up of companies and their representatives, and will also be LIVE-STREAMED WORLDWIDE and observed by Artistic Directors of dance companies around the globe.
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Photo Credits: LK Studio, Jennifer Curry Wingrove, Star Action Shots, Staff TES, Younsik Kim, Jojo Mamangun, Reynold Setiadi, Alfonso García | | | | |
