YAGP 2024 Winners Announced, 25th Anniversary Celebration

Last week, the streets of downtown New York were abuzz with Koch heads—it seemed like everywhere you looked, you’d see large groups of young dancers, with slicked-back hair and ragged garment bags, rushing to a studio or to the Koch Theater for Youth America Grand at Lincoln Center price: It was a nostalgic moment; For most of its 25-year history, YAGP, the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition, has held its final round in New York. It moved its finals to Tampa during the pandemic — it’s logistically easier and more affordable for the dancers and their families, said Larisa Saveliev, YAGP’s founder and artistic director. But since this was the race’s 25th anniversary season, returning to New York was a top priority.

“For us, this is really significant,” Saveliev said earlier this month during a phone interview. “That’s where we started.” (Finals will alternate between New York and Tampa going forward, announced annually.)

To further mark the anniversary, this year’s festivities included a symposium for more than 20 company directors, co-hosted by Dutch National Ballet Artistic Director Ted Brandsen and incoming American Ballet Theater Executive Director Barry Hewson. And on April 17, 353 YAGP competitors gathered at the Plaza Hotel in New York City to: broke the Guinness World Record for most dancers to balance simultaneously on pointe for one minute.

The week also featured two star-studded galas, including the Best of 25 Years gala featuring 36 artists from 15 companies from around the world. Each installment features YAGP alumni like those of ABT Chloe MiseldineBianca Scudamore from the Paris Opera Ballet, Constantin Allen from the Dutch National Ballet, Mackenzie Braun from the Stuttgart Ballet, Antonio Casalinho from the Bavarian State Ballet and many more. “There are so many dancers we wanted to feature that we couldn’t do it in one night,” Saveliev said. “Most of them are young directors and soloists because we wanted to introduce the next generation of superstars.”

Originally, the cast also included Maria Khoreva and Kimin Kim of the Russian State Mariinsky Ballet, which drew objections from local leaders and the Ukrainian consulate due to the war in Ukraine. After being informed of possible protests Thursday, YAGP leaders consulted with the New York City Ballet, which operates Lincoln Center’s Koch Theater, and decided to cancellation: the dancers’ performances shortly before the show. (Protests by pro-Ukraine activists continued as planned.) “This is a decision that causes us great pain,” YAGP said in a statement. “Art should unite us, not divide us.”

“We are very sorry that our meeting did not take place,” wrote Horeva in an Instagram: post:“but art will always find its way to the human soul.”

The awards:

During the competition, 120 finalists – out of 2,000 dancers – were selected to participate in the final round on Wednesday night. The winners were announced at Saturday’s awards ceremony, along with many other dancers who received summer intensive scholarships, invitations to pre-professional training programs and company contracts.

Going forward, Saveliev said, YAGP plans to create more opportunities for dancers outside of competition, as well as expand its summer workshop at the Nervi Festival (a week-long “company experience” program held every summer in Italy) to more cities in Europe. “We want to give young dancers an opportunity to perform, not just compete,” she says.

If you missed the live awards ceremony, you’re in luck—we’ve compiled a list below. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s final round and a special shout out to all the hard working teachers and parents who made these dancers’ dreams possible.

Senior Division:

Grand Prize:

GeonHee Park, 18, Korea National University of Arts, South Korea

Senior women:

1st place: Ivana Radan, 15, Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program, USA

2nd Place: Crystal Huang, 15, Bayer Ballet Academy and Rock Dance Center, USA

3rd Place: MinJi Son, 18, Korea National University of Arts, South Korea

Senior men:

1st Place: Martinho Lima Santos, 18, Princess Grace Academy, Monaco/Portugal

2nd place: Joao Pedro Silva, 15, Balé do teatro Basileu Franca, Brazil

3rd place (tie). Hang Li, 20, Beijing Dance Academy, China

3rd place (tie). Carson Wiley, 17, The Rock School for Dance, USA

Youth Division:

Junior Women:

1st place: Tamison Soppet, 13, Convergence Dance Studios, New Zealand

2nd place: Annie Webb, 13, Moga Conservatory of Dance, USA

3rd place: Jolie Laveau, 13, Boca Ballet Theater, USA

Junior Men:

1st place: Keenan Menzos, 14, Ballet Bloch Canada, Canada

2nd place: Eric Poore, 14, Cary Ballet Conservatory, USA

3rd Place: Eita Akita, 14, Wakui Ballet School, Japan

Pre-Competition Division:

Hope Award:

Owen Simmons, 11, The School of Cadence Ballet, Canada

Women, classic

1st place: Yuna Yamada, 11, Kinue Kobayashi Ballet Studio, Japan

2nd Place: SaRang Jang, 11, Maeen Ballet, South Korea

3rd place: Anne Takahashi, 11, Flora Ballet, Japan

Men, classic

1st place: Spencer Collins, 10, Westside Ballet School, USA

2nd place: Victor Rega Mas, 11, Synopsis Danse, France

3rd place: Yuto Teranishi, 10, Panda Ballet School (Takako Mori Ballet School), Japan

Women, Contemporary:

1st place: Lior Wieder, 11, DanceWorks, Israel

2nd Place: Ellary Day Schindlar, 11, Master Ballet Academy, USA

3rd place: Anne Takahashi, 11, Flora Ballet, Japan

Men, contemporary

1st place: Spencer Collins, 10, Westside Ballet School, USA

2nd place: Kohaku Kihara, 11, Skhole Ballet Art, Japan

3rd place: Bogdan Eduard, 10, Dance Planet, Romania

Ensemble Division:

A classic pas de deux

1st place: Minji Son, 18, and Seungmin Lee, 19, Korea National University of the Arts, South Korea

2nd place (tie). Nuria Fernandez, 16, and Darius-Oriol Tamosi, 17, Conservatório Internacional de Ballet e Dança Annarella Sanchez, Portugal

2nd place (tie). Yasmin Sabag, 15, and João Pedro Silva, 15, Bale do teatro Basileu Franca, Brazil

3rd place: Sophia Jones, 17, and Colton Heath, 16, Feijoo Ballet School, USA

A contemporary pas de deux

1st place: Nuria Fernandez, 16, and Darius-Oriol Tamosi, 17, Conservatório Internacional de Ballet e Dança Annarella Sanchez, Portugal

2nd place: Sachi Oza, 13, and Eric Poore, 14, Cary Ballet Conservatory, USA

3rd place: Yasmin Sabag, 15, and Marcus Rufino, 15, Bale do teatro Basileu Franca, Brazil

Classical Ensembles:

1st place: Bayer Ballet Academy, USA

2nd place: Rock School of Dance, USA

3rd place: Colorado Ballet Academy, USA

Contemporary Ensembles:

1st place: Professione Danza Pescara, Italy

2nd place: Cary Ballet Conservatory, USA

3rd place (tie). Jun Lu Performing Arts, USA

3rd place (tie). Cadence Ballet School, Canada

Character Ensembles: