YoungArts is not only a prestigious stage for the most talented young artists of the next generation. The organization also provides awardees aged 15 to 18 with a week of masterclasses, mentoring and community building to support their budding careers. And according to previous honors winners, these: five days in Miamiwhere performing, visual and literary artists from across the country gather for National Youth Arts Week can seriously assert their sense of artistry. “It was the first time I was validated and called an artist,” says Asmund Eriksson, who is the 2024 Steppe winner. “I felt like, ‘Yeah, me in the morning an artist.’ “
The positives and benefits don’t end there. Winners receive a medallion, support throughout their career, and exclusive access to the YoungArts Post, which you might call a social platform for YoungArts winners. And as a Distinguished Winner, a special designation that makes you eligible for awards of up to $10,000, you can also potentially be named a US Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the highest honors for high school students. It all sounds pretty dreamy, doesn’t it?
But with so many applicants vying for so few places in the competition, how do you stand out in the application process, particularly in the dance category – and what should you do to get the most out of YoungArts Week?
Dance Spirit: spoke with Erickson and other past winners to round up some tips and tricks for success in the competition.
Register for an information session:
When Erickson was in the application process, he made sure to attend an online information session — and, he says, it proved helpful. The session gives you the opportunity to talk to past winners about their experiences and ask them questions. But the key here is to sign up for a session that includes a panelist.
“For my application year — and they may change this for future years — there’s a panel of several people who look at the finalist videos and choose who stands out from them,” Erickson says. “And those are the applicants who can come to YoungArts Week.” According to Erickson, this single panel reviews finalist applications across all dance disciplines, so understanding what a panelist is looking for, which may not be specific to one dance form, can be valuable.
Be your authentic self in your audition video
For the YoungArts audition process, you’re judged almost entirely on your audition video, Erickson says. Requirements may vary slightly by discipline, but generally you are asked to submit a solo demonstrating your technique and a second solo demonstrating your artistry. With that kind of pressure on one component of your app, it can be tempting to put your most impressive tricks up front, or to cover social media trends or dance competition accolades. But Vyoma Bhanap, a Kathak dancer, encourages candidates to present themselves in the audition video as truly as possible – both as artists and as people. Before shooting her audition video, Bhanap remembers thinking, “I’d rather apply for what I feel I am as an artist and a dancer than what I think YoungArts wants from me.” This perspective translated and in 2023, Bhanap was selected as the winner of Indian classical dance. “It’s a credit to the YoungArts Foundation,” she says. “They don’t want something that doesn’t represent who they’re really trying to raise.”
You need to bring that sense of authenticity to what you wear in your audition video as well. Sam Fine, the 2023 contemporary dance winner, originally wore a black T-shirt and black tights in his video. “I found that it wasn’t super flattering on my lines because my legs are already very long, and it just made me look like I wasn’t quite in my body,” Fine says. When he was shooting again, he wore what he felt comfortable in. blue overalls. He also added a blue highlight to complement the tone of his solo. And it worked. “The first night I got to YoungArts Week, [the faculty and staff] were like “Oh my God, the blue jumpsuit!” So that definitely helped me stand out.”
Bring a favorable attitude to Miami
For those who make it to YoungArts Week, remember that you will meet many talented artists. This can sometimes cause a sense of insecurity, especially since you’re being judged throughout the week for cash prizes and, possibly, a Presidential Scholar nod.
But the point of YoungArts Week isn’t to be competitive, Fine says. “Once you get to YoungArts Week, the competition is over.” Instead, trust the opportunity to grow your art community. Erickson notes that his fondest memories of the week involved developing friendships with other winners — some dancers, some not. Since then, “I meet up with friends from YoungArts when they come to my hometown and when I travel,” he says. “It’s really great to make these lifelong connections.”