More than 500 young ballet dancers jumped, twirled and pirouetted across the stage of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday as they competed for a chance to dance in the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York City.
The YAGP’s semifinals drew participants from 55 schools in 10 states and three countries to compete for scholarships to some of the best dance schools in the world, as well as other prizes.
Winners go on to finals in April in New York City. There, they would get a crack at more than $250,000 of scholarships to leading ballet schools throughout the world, where they continue training, said Gennadi Saveliev, 43, who, with wife Larissa, founded the YAGP.
It is the world’s largest ballet competition, providing opportunities for dance students ages 9 to 19. “Some major ballet companies follow the growth of these kids who come here,” he said.
Throughout the year, Saveliev said, similar competitions have been going on throughout the world, including in Australia, Japan and France. The New York finals kick off April 7; by that point, 6,000 kids will have competed, Saveliev said.
Many weren’t there just to take a shot at getting a scholarship. Sarah Ray, 17, a student at the International Ballet School in Littleton, performed a contemporary dance piece she called “very fast and smiley and fun.” She said participation in the four-day event was an opportunity to improve her dancing. “I do this for experience and the opportunity to perform and improve.”
There are 14,000 ballet schools across America, said Saveliev, who was once a dancer with Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet. “You have to constantly find talent and give them the chance to go to bigger schools” where they can further develop their abilities. Students who are the best dancers should be learning with other students who have the talent to get into the best of the schools, Saveliev said.
Mark Carlson, 60, owner of the International Ballet School in Littleton, said the work his students do preparing for the contest is more important than winning the competition. “They grow from that.”
YAGP holds workshops, scholarship auditions, master classes and audition classes in approximately 17 U.S. cities and six international locations throughout the year.
Each season culminates in the week-long New York finals, where more than 1,200 of the world’s most promising dancers receive in-depth mentoring. More than 50,000 dancers have participated in YAGP events, and the organization has awarded more than $3 million of scholarships.
