grand prix

[KitriSpanishDancer]

im almost 14 and i dont mean to sound conceaded but i beilive i am exceptionally good at ballet, i love it and it is definetly what i want to do in life. I understand that grand prix is a great oppourtunity for schools and companies to see you and possibly give you great options to get you where you issentially want to get. ive never seen grand prix but ive heard is VERY difficult to get in2 the finals. this scares me. how do i know when im good enough to make an impression on people??????? and are people my age amazing and intimidating to compete against?? please help. sorry if i put this topic in the wrong forum thanx a bunch- kitri

[Victoria Leigh]

Are you talking about the Youth America Grand Prix, Kitri? If so, first you need to be submitted for the Regional competition nearest you. Your teacher would need to be willing to submit you and coach you in two variations, one classical and one contemporary. If you place high enough in the Regional, you go to NY in the Spring for the finals. The competition in NY is very strong, even in the Junior Category. You would still be a junior this next year.

 

Has your school ever entered anyone in this competition?

[Mel Johnson]

Do you mean Youth America Grand Prix:

 

YAGP website

 

?

[vrsfanatic]

KitirSpanishDancer, congratulations on your confidence. I am assuming you are asking about YAGP, Youth America Grand Prix? A good starting point for comparison could be going to their website to look at photos of dancers in your age group. Do you look similar in line, facility, temperment to them? Another way to compare is to honestly assess where you fit within your own class and school. Once you recognize that you are in the top two percent, then you need to compare where you fit in at SIs. Are you going to some of the more reknown SIs where perhaps some of the judges to this competition are teaching/working? Are these schools represented and offering scholarships? Are you in the top one percent in this group. Have you asked your teacher? This also could be quite helpful.

 

As for the level of the competition, it can only be as high as those dancers who enter. It is different every year. There really are some extraordinary 14 year olds. This is an age that really begins to separate the good from the very, very good. Also you must remember that winning a competition is not necessarily everything there is in ballet. I have quite a few students who entered, competing against our Grand Prix winner (top prize winner). They of course could not all get Grand Prix. Some one has to get the other prizes. And the prizes cannot go to only one school. Although we have had two Grand Prix winners, some of mine did not win any prizes at all, but they are in ABT, NYCB, Joffrey, Boston etc.

 

Try not to place too much of an emphasis on getting into this or any competion. The the traditional audition still can get you were you want to go.

[KitriSpanishDancer]

Ms. Leigh: Yes, someone has entered into YAGP, but she was much older than I am; she is almost 18. She placed into the finals but could not go because of financial reasons.

 

 

Ms. Schneider: i would consider myself in the top 2 percent for my age group at my studio. Of course there are older people that are better than I, though. I am going to a renowned SI, PNB, where I was the only successful applicant from my school. I also got into SFB, but i was waitlisted. I've looked at all the pics on the YAGP website and I think that I would be able to handle dancing among those dancers in the pics. Hopefully i can dedicate some of my time to this competition. Even if I don't place, I know that it would be a awesome opportunity for people to see me dance.

 

thanx for your comments- kitri

Edited May 30, 2004 by Mel Johnson

[Victoria Leigh]

KitriSpanishDancer, it's excellent that you were accepted to PNB, and also wait listed for SFB. It sounds like you are showing fine potential for your age group. After your SI, when you start back to your regular school, talk to your teacher about the possibility of entering YAGP next year, if this is something you really want to do. Your teacher would need to be willing to submit you from that school, and also to teach you the variations and coach you. You will also need a tutu for the classical variation. The contemporary variation will need to be choroeographed for you, which means the teacher would need to do that, or have someone available who could do it. This is not an inexpensive thing, and you must expect to pay the teacher for the coaching, and the choreographer for the contemporary work too. There will need to be a costume for that as well.

 

Please note on your posts above that I edited the way the Teacher/Moderators on the board are addressed here on the Young Dancers forum. I would also like to ask you to please read your own posts before hitting the send button, and try to correct some of the typos and spelling errors if you can. Thank you

[Mel Johnson]

I fixed them, too. And the grammar and spelling errors. Sometimes audition sheets have a brief narrative section on them. It will help you if you are very careful about grammar and spelling. It creates a better impression of you.

[KitriSpanishDancer]

sorry everyone, i wasnt taking my spelling or grammar seriously on this messege board, i didnt know it meant so much to the moderators, if it was an important document i would of cared more, sorry to upset you all

[Victoria Leigh]

Kitri, you did not upset us, we just expect serious classical dancers to be somewhat beyond the "average" teen Seriously, dancers are very intelligent people, and they are generally very respectful to their teachers and well disciplined in class. We consider this to be a form of class, and the moderators here are all professional teachers. Ballet Talk is a bit different from other boards because it is not an "anything goes chat board". It is a moderated discussion board. That is why no one under 13 is allowed, and why we expect our young dancers to try to write at least well enough to make their posts clear and legible, not only by the moderators and dancers in the United States, but for dancers all over the world. We do have hundreds of members here who speak English as a second language.

 

We understand that not everyone realizes these differences when they first come to Ballet Alert! Online, therefore we always recommend that people spend a little time reading first, especially the "Sticky" posts on the various forums.

[Mel Johnson]

It's an important habit to acquire, that of writing in well-spelled and grammatical language. I once got a higher-paying job in a company because I could write a proper memo!