NEWS FROM YAGP - NOVEMBER 2025

N E W S L E T T E R

November 2025

Dear Friends,

While we prepare to pause and give thanks this week to family, friends, and our incredible YAGP community, we invite you to join us in reflecting on a thrilling start to the YAGP 2026 Season International Audition Tour this fall.

The biggest highlight, of course, are the scholarship opportunities for deserving young dancers - with over 3,600 offers and counting thus far in the season to YAGP's complete network of partner schools around the world. As America’s National Youth Dance Competition, YAGP continues to serve the most dancers globally, of any youth dance organization worldwide.

We are ever thankful to you, our friends and supporters around the world, for helping YAGP continue to ensure the future of dance and all its wonder and promise. From our YAGP family to yours, we wish you a meaningful Thanksgiving holiday.

With gratitude,

Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev

Founders, Youth America Grand Prix

YAGP 2026 SEASON

International Tour

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 🇰🇷

This year's YAGP 2026 Season international tour began in Seoul, South Korea in August.

Headed by YAGP Alumna Hee Seo, Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theatre and YGP Korea Ambassador, the jury panel also welcomed Pascal Molat of San Francisco Ballet School (USA); Aram Manukyan of Alberta Ballet School (CANADA); and other esteemed individuals, in addition to scholarship presenters watching virtually around the world.

Once again, the remarkable dedication of the Korean participants was evident as always, with numerous scholarships presented by YAGP partner schools around the world.

YGP Korea Hope Award Winner, Sarang Joo

Yoo's Ballet Conservatory

YGP Korea Pas de Deux Winners, Minjin Kim and Seongmo Koo

Korea National University of Arts

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺

Continuing onto the Asia Pacific leg of the tour, YAGP was thrilled to return to Sydney for its annual semi-final auditions in Australia - a country brimming with talent. The event welcomed dancers from across Australia, New Zealand, and even China and Singapore.

The jury panel included directors and faculty members from Australian Ballet School (AUSTRALIA), Houston Ballet (USA), The Royal Ballet (UK), and K-BALLET ACADEMY (JAPAN), among others — and hundreds of scholarships were awarded from YAGP scholarship presenters worldwide.

YGP Sydney 2nd Place Ensemble Winners, Frances Ng & Tomihiko Arai

Amanda Bollinger Dance Academy (AUSTRALIA)

YGP Sydney Senior Women 1st Place Winner, Tamison Soppet

Convergence Dance Studios (NEW ZEALAND)

SAO PAOLO, BRAZIL 🇧🇷

YGP Brazil has long been one of the most exciting stops on the international tour, filled with tremendous excitement, passion, and stunning performances for which the Brazilian participants are known.

This year, the Brazilian Final Round was held in the vibrant city of São Paolo, with an in-person jury panel that included Juliana Sabino Wilhelm of Palucca University of Dance Dresden (GERMANY); Telmo Moreira of The Rock School for Dance (USA); Ivaylo Alexiev of Boston Ballet School (USA); and YAGP Assistant Artistic Director, Natalia Bashkatova.

YGP Brazil Grand Prix Winner,

Martina Sanchez

Cia Jovem Teatro Basileu França (BRAZIL)

SINGAPORE 🇸🇬

Dancers from across the Asia Pacific region gathered for YAGP’s third annual series of workshops and auditions in Singapore, offering young dancers the unique opportunity to take part in master classes with YAGP Founders Larissa & Gennadi Saveliev, Leanne Benjamin of The Royal Ballet (UK), Ashley McNeil of Alberta Ballet School (CANADA), Robert Parker of Elmhurst Ballet School (UK), and other esteemed individuals.

Leanne Benjamin, Former Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet and Representative, The Royal Ballet School (UK)

MANILA, PHILLIPPINES 🇵🇭

YAGP returned to Manila, Philippines, for the next stop on the international audition tour, which welcomed participants from across the the Philippines as well as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Dancers also had the opportunity to attend master classes from the esteemed jury panel, which included Marek Rózycki of Berlin State Ballet School (GERMANY), Peter Stark of The Rock School for Dance (USA), and other esteemed Directors and teachers.

YGP Manila Senior 1st Place Winner,

Annika Angeline Browne

Steps Dance Studios (PHILIPPINES)

TOKYO, JAPAN 🇯🇵

As the largest and longest-running event in YAGP’s ever-expanding international audition tour, this year’s Japan Semi-Final introduced several new exciting initiatives as it came to the capital city of Tokyo.

This year’s event brought to life the first-ever MINI PROJECT, aimed at dancers just 5-8 years old. Held at the Tachikawa Stage Garden, this unique experience brought together young dance students from across Japan, who gathered for a special series of master classes and repertoire workshops focused on the joy of dance and the beauty of teamwork and community. The closing performance was a heartwarming display of the power and positive effect of dance education in young children’s lives.

(From Left) - Masamichi Murayama, CEO of Tachihi Holdings Co., Ltd.; Larissa Saveliev, Founder and Artistic Director of YAGP; Tetsuya Kumakawa, Founder and General Director of K-BALLET TOKYO; and Gennadi Saveliev, Co-Founder of YAGP at a press conference on bringing YGP Japan auditions to the city of Tachikawa, enriching the artistic and cultural landscape of the region and providing scholarship and performance opportunities for Japanese children.

The Japan Semi-Final concluded in two spectacular Gala performances at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall - YAGP’s first Gala in Tokyo in many years.

The program featured performances by phenomenal young talent from across the globe, including 30 students from YAGP scholarship-presenting schools around the world, representing The Royal Ballet School (UK), John Cranko School of The Stuttgart Ballet (GERMANY), Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), Zurich Dance Academy (SWITZERLAND), and more.

YAGP Alumna May Nagahisa, Mariinsky Ballet with Dmitry Smilevsky, Bolshoi Ballet

Among the Gala highlights were breathtaking performances by YAGP Alumna and Mariinsky Ballet First Soloist May Nagahisa with Bolshoi Ballet Principal Dancer Dmitry Smilevsky, and a special collaboration of BOLERO X by Shahar Binyamini featuring YAGP participants and alumni currently studying in YAGP partner schools worldwide.

Alecsia Lazarescu and Fabrizzio Ulloa Cornjeo, The Royal Ballet School (UK)

Ruan Santiago, Princes Grace Academy (MONACO)

CORDOBA, MEXICO 🇲🇽

In a country where celebration is an integral part of the culture, the generous spirit of this year’s YGP Mexico Festival was once again no exception, as dancers gathered in the historic town of Cordoba for a week of performances and master classes with an esteemed jury panel.

The Semi-Final culminated in a closing Gala performance with an emotional tribute to longtime friend and jury member Tadeusz Matacz, who will step down at the end of 2025 after 27 years at the helm of the John Cranko School of The Stuttgart Ballet.

It was an unforgettable evening celebrating the extraordinary career and indelible mark that Mr. Matacz has made in the lives of young dancers, including countless YAGP alumni who have gone on to dance at The Stuttgart Ballet and numerous other companies worldwide. Among the featured guest artists were Stuttgart Ballet’s Friedemann Vogel and YAGP /YGP Mexico Alumna Rócio Alemán and YAGP Alumni Sasha De Sola and Francesco Gabriele Frola of San Francisco Ballet.

A heartfelt moment: Tadeusz Matacz, Director of the John Cranko School, with former student, YAGP/YGP Mexico Alumna Rócio Alemán, now Principal Dancer of The Stuttgart Ballet

YAGP Alumna Rócio Alemán and Friedmann Vogel, The Stuttgart Ballet

PARIS, FRANCE 🇫🇷

YAGP is always proud and honored to return to its “French home” of the last thirteen years, the Paris Opera Ballet School, where it became the first outside organization in the POB’s 300-year history to be welcomed into its historic building back in 2012.

Today, the annual Paris auditions welcome dancers from more than 35 countries and 5 continents around the world for an incredible and unique educational experience of being able to take master classes inside the School's storied building and studios.

The preeminent jury panel, Chaired by Paris Opera Ballet School Director, Élisabeth Platel, once again included Directors and leading faculty members of some of the most esteemed dance institutions across Europe.

Élisabeth Platel, Director of Paris Opera Ballet School (FRANCE)

José Carayol, Head of Artistic Programs, The Royal Ballet School (UK)

Frederic Olivieri, Ballet Director of La Scala Theatre and Director of La Scala Ballet Academy (ITALY)

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA 🇦🇷

In keeping with tradition, YAGP concluded the South American leg of its international tour in the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dancers from across Latin America shared beautiful performances and auditioned for scholarship opportunities from leading dance schools worldwide, including those represented in person - Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), Alberta Ballet School (CANADA), Nashville Ballet (USA), and Interlochen Center for the Arts (USA) - as well as many more scholarship presenters within YAGP's global network.

VICENZA, ITALY 🇮🇹

For the second year, YAGP was thrilled to return to the city of Vicenza for its 2026 Season Italian auditions, which welcomed nearly 500 participants from 30 countries worldwide to North Italy’s hidden gem.

The esteemed jury panel included Jean-Marie Ledo of Paris Opera Ballet (FRANCE), Luca Masala of Princess Grace Academy (MONACO), Tadeusz Matacz of the John Cranko School of The Stuttgart Ballet (GERMANY), a Tatiana Nikonova of La Scala Ballet Academy (ITALY), and Cristina Sasso of European School of Ballet (NETHERLANDS), among other representatives from leading dance institutions around the world.

Roberta Diamante

Expression Movement (ITALY)

Vicente Martinho, Palcº Oporto Ballet School (PORTUGAL)

BANGKOK, THAILAND 🇹🇭

For the first time this season, a YAGP master class series was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing the YAGP experience to talented young dancers from across the region.

Headed by Sarawanee Tanatanit, Former Dancer of ABT, the classes brought together an esteemed roster of master teachers: YAGP Associate Artistic Director Alexei Moskalenko, Marek Rozycki of Berlin State Ballet School, and Grace Holmes of San Francisco Ballet School. Dancers also had the opportunity to receive scholarships from YAGP partner schools around the world in a unique and inspiring workshop setting.

✨ SAVE THE DATE ✨

YAGP 2026 New York Gala and

International Dance School Festival

April 16-18th, 2026

YAGP is thrilled to return to its longtime artistic home, the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, this season for the annual YAGP NYC Gala - and the long-anticipated return of the YAGP International Dance School Festival.

- Thursday, April 16, 2026 :

YAGP’s signature STARS OF TODAY MEET THE STARS OF TOMORROW GALA will bring together stars of the world's leading dance companies as they share the stage with some of the world's most exciting young dance talent in a spectacular evening, followed by dinner and dancing with the stars in the Promenade.

- Saturday, April 18, 2026 :

The YAGP INTERNATIONAL DANCE SCHOOL FESTIVAL (IDSF) also returns to the Lincoln Center stage in 2026. This highly-anticipated event will feature talented students from YAGP’s partner schools in one unforgettable performance. The program will feature dancers from the ABT JKO School, John Cranko School of The Stuttgart Ballet, Princess Grace Academy, The Royal Ballet School, Zurich Dance Academy, and more.

Different casts, different programs - each an UNFORGETTABLE EVENING OF DANCE.

Stay tuned for more information and ticket sales coming soon.

YAGP 2026 SEASON FINALS

Houston, TX | May 10-18, 2026

YAGP Season Finals Gala | May 17, 2026

YAGP is delighted to present its 2026 Season Finals for the first time in Houston, TX, hosted by Houston Ballet!

This season, we look forward to welcoming the YAGP 2026 Finalists to the magnificent, state-of-the-art Wortham Theater Center, home of Houston Ballet, for a week of outstanding performances, master classes with directors of the leading dance academies and companies worldwide, and other special events offered only at the YAGP Finals: the world's largest dance gathering.

Houston Ballet Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance - the largest professional dance facility in the United States - is proud to host YAGP for the master classes and rehearsals at this year's Finals.

The YAGP 2026 Finals will conclude in the spectacular Season Finals Gala, YAGP’s signature STARS OF TODAY MEET THE STARS OF TOMORROW, featuring leading artists from the world's most esteemed dance companies alongside the next generation of rising young dancers from across the globe: our stars of tomorrow.

We look forward to welcoming the international ballet community to Houston next May!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM HOUSTON BALLET:

Houston Ballet is honored to host the Youth America Grand Prix 2026 Finals and support the next generation of dancers.

As a leading cultural institution in Houston, we are proud to partner with YAGP in presenting a week of world-class performances, training, and opportunities that will inspire dancers and audiences alike.