YAGP releases 2014 results
The results for the 2014 Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) have been announced, boasting many American winners this year. As the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition, the final round of YAGP took place at Lincoln Center in New York City on Wednesday, April 9.
Cesar Corrales, age 17, of American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, won the Grand Prix in the Senior Age Division.
In the Women’s Classical Dance Category in the Senior Age Division, 16-year-old Juliet Doherty of the San Francisco Ballet School took home the Gold Medal. Mackenzie Richter, age 15, of the International City School of Ballet in Georgia received the Silver Medal and Madeline Woo, also 15, of V & T Dance in California was awarded the Bronze Medal.
In the Men’s Classical Dance Category in the Senior Age Division, 17-year-old Haruo Niyama of Japan’s Hakucho Ballet Academy took home the Gold Medal. Feng Hao Liang, age 16, of the Beijing Dance Academy in China received the Silver Medal while there was a tie for the Bronze Model between David Fernando Navarro Yudes, age 17 of Academie Princess Grace Monte Carlo, and Blake Kessler, age 16 of Orlando Ballet School in Florida.
Harrison Lee, age 14, of The McDonald College in Australia, won the Youth Grand Prix in the Junior Age Division.
In the Women’s Classical Dance Category in the Junior Age Division, 12-year-old Aviva Gelfer-Mundl of the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in California took home the Gold Medal. Yuki Sugiura, age 14, of Seiko Kuramoto Ballet School in Japan, received the Silver Medal and Bianca Scudamore, also age 14, of Classical Coaching Australia, was awarded the Bronze Medal.
In the Men’s Classical Dance Category in the Junior Age Division, 13-year-old Jun Masuda of Variation Ballet School in Japan took home the Gold Medal. Austen Acevedo, age 13, of the Orlando Ballet School in Florida, received the Silver Medal while there was a tie for the Bronze Model between Leroy Makgatle, age 14 of Art of Motion in South Africa, and Adrian Zeisel, age 12 of Austria.
In the Pre-Competitive Age Division, Eunsoo Lee, age 11, of Korean National University of Arts of the Republic of Korea, received the Hope Award.
To see the complete results for each division, as well as the ensemble winners and the recipients of the special awards, visit www.yagp.org.
The competition YAGP culminates annually to award over $250,000 in scholarships to help young dance students attend leading dance schools in the United States and abroad. After passing through U.S. and international semi-final rounds, aspiring dancers from around the globe gather in NYC with the chance of being able to compete in the Final Round.
In addition to offering educational opportunities and scholarships, YAGP also serves as an arena for gifted, promising dancers to gain employment contracts with top dance companies from around the globe. Scouts from companies such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and San Francisco Ballet all attend the competition to look at young, fresh talent.
Photo: YAGP competitor Gabriella Stilo, who won the Grishko Model Search 2014. Photo by Siggul/VAM.