Search results for: YAGP

Bolshoi Dancers Denied Visas to Perform at YAGP Gala in NYC

Several weeks ago, Youth America Grand Prix announced that the lineup for tonight’s Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow gala at Lincoln Center’s Koch Theater would include Bolshoi Ballet principal Olga Smirnova and first soloist Jacopo Tissi. But an article in Page Six published last night states that Smirnova and Tissi were denied […]

The Best Moments from Last Week's YAGP Gala

To hear the screaming throngs of teenagers, you might think this was a Beatles concert in 1964. But no, it’s dance students from all over the world joining together for the Youth America Grand Prix’s gala at Lincoln Center, excited to see some of the greatest stars in dance today. Their rafter-shaking enthusiasm was heartening […]

Seven Reasons Why I Love Judging at YAGP

I always have a great time judging for Youth America Grand Prix. Having just returned from the San Francisco venue, I write this while it’s still fresh in my mind. Here are the reasons: Michelle Lin, 11, winner of Hope Award, all photos @ VAM Productions I get to see a lot of young people […]

Before They Were Stars, They Won YAGP

Throw together a night of performances by international dancers, sprinkle in some teenage competition winners’ solos, and call it something cute: That would seem to be the recipe for Youth America Grand Prix’s “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” gala, happening this Thursday and Friday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Except, the name of this annual program is eerily prescient. When […]

YAGP's Dazzling Constellation Includes David Hallberg as Impresario

It’s not only hundreds of wannabe dancers who are chomping at the bit to attend the gala nights of Youth America Grand Prix. It’s also New York’s ballet world in general. The gala this Thursday offers the “Stars of Tomorrow” in the first half (meaning the winners of this glittering youth ballet competition), and the […]

It's YAGP Time

Today marks the kickoff of the 2015 Youth American Grand Prix season, with competitions beginning in Tampa, Florida and Seattle, Washington. Started by former Bolshoi dancer Larissa Saveliev (and Dance Magazine Award winner!), and her husband, Gennadi, YAGP is in its 16th season. Upon moving to the United States in 1995, they felt there was […]

Highlights of YAGP Galas

Youth American Grand Prix, the largest youth competition for ballet in the world, has always stressed artistry as well as technique in its galas. For its blockbuster 15th anniversary two-night celebration, students in the house screamed equally for fabulous jumps and turns as for the poetry of classicism. Another hallmark of these galas, as organized […]

My Week in Japan, Courtesy YAGP

The future of ballet depends on a pool of talent constantly flowing into the profession from all over the world. I got to see some of that pool—ocean, really—as a judge at Youth America Grand Prix in Tokyo last week. So, with the tunes of ballet variations from The Sleeping Beauty, Esmeralda, and The Talisman […]