Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the YAGP Gala 2007. I know that last year, Polina Semionova was scheduled to perform, but was unable to due to a leg injury. I would love the opportunity to see her perform this year, but I do not know if she is going to come. When do you expect to know the international performers attending this performace? Thank you so much!!!

City Center lists the date as May 1, but YAGP announced the change to April 30:

Due to popular demand, we have been able to change the date of the YAGP 2007 Gala to Monday, April 30th in order to follow our traditional format of the Awards and Gala evening taking place on the Monday following the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the competition. We believe it will make for an easier NYC Finals schedule for our participants, parents and teachers.

We would like to wish all YAGP participants happy holidays and look forward to seeing you in the new year!

but you aren't sure when a list of performers will be released to the public?

Last year, the promoters sent out the press release announcing the participants 32 days in advance of the first gala. That may be a good indicator of their timetable.

And, as you noted, the cast is subject to change.

My understanding, from a YAGP Board member, was that the date was changed so as not to conflict with the NYCB Spring Gala.

Ah, whatever ...

Dear friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all a wonderful New Year ahead.

I have some information in regard to the questions you raise. First, regarding the moving of the date - we have, indeed, moved it to April 30th from May 1st. Originally, we tried our hardest to make it possible to have our Gala on a Monday, as is our usual preferred format (competition on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the Gala on Monday). However, because of a very tight schedule following the load-out of Eifman Ballet (which finishes late Sunday night on April 29th), City Center was telling us that it was impossible to do Monday, so we were stuck with Tuesday, May 1.

However, when NYCB moved its Gala date to May 1, it created a serious conflict for the NYCB dancers we have invited to perform at the Gala, as well as for our audiences, donors, and Board members who wanted to attend both Galas. So we revisited the issue and, after a lot of team work and creative thinking, were able to find a way to hold the Gala on Monday, April 30th. This will require a much higher financial commitment from YAGP, but we decided to do it because we really did not want to ask New York City audiences to choose between the NYCB Gala and the YAGP Gala - and we did not want to exclude the NYCB dancers from dancing in the Gala.

Regarding the artist line-up for the Gala, we will announce it very soon. At this time, we are finalizing our agreements with artists from Paris Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet, Monte Carlo Ballet, ABT, NYCB, MOMIX, and some others. All we can say at this time is that, like in the past 7 years, the audiences will not be disappointed.

Happy New Year!

Sergey Gordeev

I would also like to add a note about Polina Semionova - we have been in communication with her regarding making her New York debut at the YAGP 2007 Gala, but, unfortunately, it will not be possible as she is performing in the opening night of Sylvia with Berlin Staatsoper on April 29th. We are already checking into the possibilities in 2008, as we believe she is an extraordinary artist who will bring a lot of joy to the New York audiences.

Many thanks for the information, Mr. Gordeev. We have many balletgoers from the New York City area on the boards, and it's great to know that they don't have to choose.

Tickete arrived. The YAGP 2007 Gala starts at 7 PM, Monday April 30 and a ticket is also valid for the Awards Ceremony that begins at 5 PM.

Just checked City Center and tix are getting scarce. Top priced seats left are way to the side and mid Mezzanine Center only has singles left. Rear Mezzanine does still have good centered seats remaining.
The stars, from YAGP's site:

For those interested, Manuel Legris indicates on his website that he'll be dancing Petite Mort (Kylian) and a pas de deux from Lady of the Camellias, Act III (John Neumeier) with Aurélie Dupont in this gala.

Sang-Yi Han, out.
Philip Neal (partnering Bouder), in.
Desmond Richardson, M.C.
Finalists will also dance.
http://www.yagp.org/gala/index.asp

Oh - I can't wait to see Aurelie Dupont. If she cancels, I will

Dear friends,

For your information, we would like to post the lastest program information as of April 20th. We are very excited, and we hope to see you all at the Gala.

ACT I: STARS OF TOMORROW
Winners of Youth America Grand Prix 2007 international student ballet and contemporary dance competition

“Grand Defilé”
(piece d'occasion, featuring all YAGP participants)
Choreography: Carlos dos Santos,Jr
Music:Anatol Liadov

ACT II: STARS OF TODAY

Aurelie Dupont,
Manuel Legris (Paris Opera Ballet)
“Petite Mort"
Choreography: Jiri Kylian
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Cecilia Kerche,
Vitor Luiz (Ballet Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro)
“La Esmeralda” – Pas De Deux"
Choreography: Jules Perrot
Music: Cesare Pugni

Sascha Radetsky,
Stella Abrera (ABT)
“Jabula” – Pas de Deux
Choreography: Natalie Weir
Music: Hans Zimmer

Xiomara Reyes, Gennadi Saveliev (ABT)
“Spring Waters”
Choreography: Asaf Messerer
Music: Sergei Rachmaninoff

MOMIX
"Moonbeams" (from “Lunar Sea”)
Choreography: Moses Pendleton
Music: Kevin Dooley, The Star Seeds

Complexions Contemporary Ballet
“Choke” - WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Dwight Rhoden
Music: Sergey Gordeev

Paloma Herrera (ABT) and Nicolaj Hübbe (NYCB)
“Rubies” (from “Jewels”)
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Igor Stravinsky

Isabella Boylston (ABT, YAGP Alumna) and David Hallberg (ABT)
"Quiet Music" - WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Benjamin Millepied
Music by: Nico Muhly

Ashley Bouder (NYCB) and Joseph Phillips (San Francisco Ballet, YAGP alumnus)
“Stars and Stripes”
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: John Philip Sousa

Alicia Amatriain,
Jason Reilly (Stuttgart Ballet)
“Mono Lisa” – NEW YORK PREMIERE
Choreography: Itzik Galili
Music: Thomas Höfs

Aurelie Dupont,
Manuel Legris (Paris Opera Ballet)
“La Dame aux Camelias" - Black Pas De Deux
Choreography: John Neumeier
Music: Frederic Chopin

Marianela Nuñez,
Thiago Soares (The Royal Ballet)
“Le Corsaire” - Pas De Deux
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Adolphe Adam

Thanks for posting the program. It looks great. I can't wait.

Marianela Nunez!!!!!!!
I hope I have the number of !'s right. During her fouettes in the evening ending Corsaire, I believe that is how many turns she completed in one of her interpolated multiple pirouettes. Her outstanding partner was Thiago Soares (think ABT's Gomes). She is altogether a WOW!, and an endless roar of booooooooos to the Met for not bringing her and The Royal to NYC in years.

Unfortunately, I suppose there wasn't time to print an insert of winners, and the MC was not a master at pronouncing names. Part I of the Gala featured standouts from the competition. Three circa 12-year-olds got things off sensationally. But what I assume was the men's winner came next to last. The youth-filled audience began screaming as his intro started and they were right. I don't think any of ABT's men could approach some of his tricks; the only man I could imagine duplicating his feats would be Ivan Vasiliev.

Part II was for the professionals. First up were the Parisians, Aurelie Dupont and Manuel Legris. Camera flashes, late seatings and yapping made it hard to appreciate, but the wretched choreography -- Petite Mort -- already had done them in. Sure, they danced it better than ABT does... Later they gave the penultimate dance, another less than empty piece of drivel, Neumeier's Dame aux Camelias. One could admire her pointe work, including her ability to express emotions with her pointes (a little like Fonteyn, but she had a, THE, choreographer). So he pulled down her dress, and mounted her for a couple bars of Chopin (literally, the alluded to petite mort of their first piece) -- Chopin went on and so, too, the creative choreography.
The gulf between American and European ballet taste is a veritable ocean.

There was some great dancing of great choreography too. Ashley Bouder, partnered superbly by San Francisco Ballet virtuoso Joseph Phillips, was her very human superhuman self in Stars and Stripes. Fabulous technique with carefree ease. You can tell they've danced together before, as every new contact in the adagio flowed and even melted. The variations were thrilling. Her 11th dance in seven days. Isabella Boylston and David Hallberg were lyrically terrific in a PdD by Ben Milliepied, a world premiere titled Quiet Music. She just flowed in beauty and he had the gravitas of a Premier Dancer. A pair from the Stuttgart, Alicia Amatriain and Jason Reilly danced a modern piece, Itzik Galili's Mono Lisa (not Mona). The very unruly audience was quiet at the beginning, but the first of dozens of mass screams erupted when she began to dance. Remember the comic book character Plastic Man? I've never seen such a flexible dancer. Svetlana Zakharova is a 19th C. ballerina compared to Ms. Amatriain. Yet it was totally right in this little ballet. It would be fascinating to see her in a classical role (she is a Principal).

I'm hoping Mr. Gordeev will post the names, etc. of the participants in the first half of the program, or perhaps link us to the list.

I just got home a little while ago. What a night!

I arrived at City Center at about 6:00 to find signs that the Gala was sold out. I picked up my tickets and sat in Au Bon Pain until curtain time. Now, this was the first time that I had been to City Center in years, and I could not remember what the place looked like inside. My seat was in Rear Mezzanine - very disappointing with the curtain closed, but a little better once the curtain opened. It seeemd that I was so far away from the stage when I first sat down.

The audience was very rowdy (a lot of screaming) and there was a lot of rudeness going on. A lot of talking during the performances - a lot of WALKING AROUND during the performances - and someone to my right kept taking flash pictures during the performances, despite numerous warnings - even from Desmond Richardson.

Speaking of Desmond Richardson - he was a very charming host for the evening. BUT - could someone have gone over the pronunciation of names with him before the gala? Sorry if I'm being over critical here, but the behavior of the audience put me in a very grumpy mood.

The first Act was very enjoyable. I was captivated right from the beginning - the young man from Japan and the young lady from Mexico were brilliant! The three young ladies from Japan with the chairs were very interesting and I especially liked the couple who did the pas de deux from "The Pharaoh's Daughter." The ensemble number with all 250 competitors brought the first act to a rowsing finale. I don't think I have ever seen so many dancers on stage at the same time!

I guess there was no way to list all of the performers in Act I, but it would be nice to know for the future, in case any of the dancers that we saw makes the big time!

On to Act II. The audience was still coming in when the lights were dimming and it seemed that a big party was going on in Center Mezzanine - they would not sit down. Aurelie and Manuel started to dance. One woman walked in and just stared into space for about a minute and a half. Someone sitting behind her screamed out - SIT DOWN! Later on, to my right I heard - PLEASE STOP TALKING! PLEASE STOP TALING ON YOUR PHONE! See what I mean about a rude audience - and they all seemd to be with me in Mezzanine.

Act II began with "La Petite Mort" with Aurelie Dupont and Manuel Legris. I have to admit that this was the whole reason I was attracted to this gala - I wanted to see Aurelie Dupont! This dance, with music by Mozart and choreography by Kylian was very intense and dramatic. What Aurelie and Manuel did was show their years of experience of danicing together by seeming to melt into each other's bodies. They were all over the place - Aurelie gave herself completely to every move and position - but they kept the dramatic intensity going during this number. They were the only couple to do an encore. They came out next to last and did "La Dame aux Camelias" with choreography by John Neumeier and music by Chopin. This was another intense number - more romantic in nature - and the audience gasped when Manuel took Aurelie's black dress off of her. Here's something to think about - I was waiting after the show by the stage door when out comes Manuel - jacket and dress pants - and Aurelie - the glamorous etoile - in jeans, a sweat shirt and black high-top pro keds. You know what? She still looked gorgeous!!!

Cecilia Kerche and Vitor Luiz of Ballet Teatro Municipal de Rio de Janeiro did the pas de deux from "La Esmeralda" with music by Pugni and choreography by Perrot. This was very charming and joyful. I was not too familiar with this - I remember watching a pas de six from this ballet on a Kirov tape that I had. The tambourine was brought out as a prop and then quickly abandoned.

Next up was Sascha Radetsky and Stella Abrera doing Jabula - I don't think they performed tonight. I am looking at the program and I am racking my brain trying to remember this and nothing is coming to mind! Maybe another poster can confirm this - I hope I didn't skip a groove or something!

Xiomara Reyes and Gennadi Saveliev danced to "Spring Water". I saw this on a DVD I have of Great Pas de Deux. Big complaint - the recording of the music was terrible! The dance itself was beautiful. I remember that this number ends with a lift and I'm not sure if they did it or they made a a mistake and the lights were dimmed very qucikly.

MOMIX - I didn't like it! Four women (with fezzes on their heads??) dancing and bouncing with exercise balls.

Contemporary Complexions Ballet - world premiere of Choke - didn't like this either! Forgive me!! - Modern dance is not my thing!

Paloma Herrera and Nikolaj Hubbe danced "Rubies" from Jewels. I saw this a couple of years ago with Diana Vishneva and Andrian Fadeyev at a Stars of the 21st Century Gala. As soon as the dance started I saw that they looked a little shaky and then Paloma fell. To her credit, she got right back up, didn't let it faze her, and finished strong.

Isabelle Boylston and David Hallberg danced to "Quiet Music". This was another World Premiere. I liked this better than Choke, but there was nothing very memorable about this dance for me.

Ashley Bouder and Joseph Phillips danced to "Stars and Stripes Forever". I was very excited to see Ashley again after seeing her this year at the Stars of the 21st Century Gala. This was a super difficult dance! There was that great part when Ashley is dancing offstage when Joseph runs over grabs her and glides off with her. Both dancers excelled together and in their solos.

Mono Lisa introduced us to the very-flexible Alicia Amatrian and her partner Jason Reilly. The music sounded like a typewriter. Like "La Petite Mort", this needed a lot of dramatic intensity to keep it going and it seemed that the two dancers kind of fell off at the very end. But of all the premieres (this was the New York Premiere), this was the most enjoyable.

Last up was Marianela Nunez and Thiago Soares in Le Corsaire. I saw Marianela dance the Lilac Fairy last summer at the Kennedy Center and I saw Thiago dance a beautiful Thais with Leanne Benjamin at the Ashton Centennial a few summers ago. Thiago looks a little like Marcelo Gomes. The Le Corsaire pas de deux is always a showstopper and what a great way to end the night. Marianela did either a quadruple or quintuple pirouette during her solo number - I am not sure. But this was a spectacular ending for the night.

Does anyone know whether they've married? From the March 4, 2007 Guardian review of a Nunez-Soares Swan Lake:

From everything I know, they have yet to marry... And yes, Marienela is known for her strength, warm dancing, and solid technique/turns....

Yes - I noticed that this young man, who danced to Diana and Acteon, did a similar move to the "karate kick wheelbarrow" move (I still don't know what to call this!) that Denis Matvienko did at the Stars of the 21st Century Gala back in February. Matvienko also danced to Diana and Acteon

Oh - Marianlea was such a beautiful Lilac Fairy last summer in Washington DC. While her dancing was so beautiful - it was her smile and warmth that seemd to set the tone for the Lilac Fairy - "Hey! Don't worry - everything is going to work out all right!"

She was so radiant last night in Le Corsaire -

Is anyone able to tell us the names of the competition medallists?

m2

Right, your description came to mind as I watched the young guy do it! But the corkscrew aspect of his "KKW" was tighter, faster than Denis's. Less Bolshoi, but classically cleaner.

I find it a bit disconcerting that a gala which is half dedicated to Stars of Tomorrow did not make it clear as to who those stars are....

The results would have been nice as well, but at least let the audience know who these youngsters are!

If I remember correctly, last year, the list of performers and their selections went up on the YAGP website a while (like, over a week?) after the gala.

Patience!

And thanks to all for your reviews!

Here's the Winners page, but the NYC Finals results are not yet up. You might need to click on winners or on awards & scholarships.
http://www.yagp.org/eng/regional07.asp

Thanks,

Have been checking that page from time to time since the announcement would have been made yesterday...we're interested in the NYC finals results.

m2

YAGP PHOTOS
The outstanding ballet photographer Gene Schiavone will post photos of the 2007 NYC Finals within about five days here:
http://www.geneschiavone.com/gallery/album08/yagp

While waiting for the new winners to be listed, I looked through the list of prior winners. The 2002 Women's Gold winner is now a Prima Ballerina! She is Maria Abashova, the reigning star of the Eifman Ballet. Not just a name-alike, I checked that company's dancer bios, and they list her win, the same year that she entered the company.

Did Abrera and Radetsky not perform or did I spazz out?

Was this young man Jim Nowakowski from Rochester City Ballet? He is a fantastic performer and a very nice person who truly deserved the accolades he received.

Abrera & Radetsky did not appear/perform, even tho' i heard no program change announced nor see any program copy noting the change to the second act's selections.

With the MC garbling a multisyllable name and his voice being covered by hysterical screams and cheers...
So I googled that name and found articles including photos. That's the guy!

And the winners are:
SENIOR:
Grand Prix: Melissa Hamilton
Men's Gold: Jim Nowakowski
Women's Gold: Mako Nagasaki
Honorary Grand Prix: Miles E. Perti
JUNIOR:
Grand Prix: Kiril Kulish
Men's Gold: Tomoha Terada
Women's Gold: Megumi Horiuchi

All the awards are now posted:
http://www.yagp.org/eng/nyc07.asp

I have to agree about the pronunciation of names by Desmond R. He was a charming host, very relaxed & positive. As he'd danced the night before in Toronto, he hadn't time to ask each dancer how to pronounce his/her name so YAGP should have prepared a phonetically correct list of names for him.

I also agree wholeheartedly that YAGP needs to figure out how to keep the kids upstairs from being quite so enthusiastic. They not only drowned out Richardson but also annoyed many of us with their screaming for "tricks" & seemingly not appreciating the more artistic entries.

As for the persistent flashes, the audience needs to be told that their cameras will be confiscated or they will be shown the door. It was more than just "rude & dangerous", it was downright infuriating to those of us who know proper audience etiquette.

Complete with errors:

Top 12 Sr Women and Mary Day Award are listed as
Kirsten Wicklund, (16) International School of Classical Ballet, Washington/USA

But she is in the San Francisco regionals 2nd Place as
Kirsten Wicklund, (16) Goh Ballet Academy (Vancouver, Canada)

The regionals are right, she's a Goh girl.

May I add a few things. Sorry if it has already been said
Abrera and Radetsky did not perform

Orlando Ballet School performed and were announced as outstanding school 2007 which is incorrect they were outstanding school 2006. The outstanding school 2007 was named as The Rock School. This performance at the Gala by Orlando Ballet School was unfortunately less than outstanding.

The Solos were performed by the pre competitve winner
Paulina Guraieb Sbella, (10) Fomento Artistico Cordobes, Mexico

EDITED TO ADD a very small and very dinamic Japanese boy who was the Jr 1st place winner
Tomoha Terada, (12) Tanaka Ballet Art, Japan

We also saw The Junior Grand Prix winner
Kiril Kulish, (12) San Diego Academy of Ballet, California/USA
(la Corsaire)

Contemporary dance prize winner (for whom at the awards there was no "prize" given to her) they actually called her up on stage said "we actually have nothing to give you so just stand there and have your moment" the contemporary dance prize has been awarded at several competition shame she will return to South Africa without even a certificate to show for her hard work.
Camille Bracher, (15) Ballet Theatre Afrikan, South Africa
and Outstanding European dancer
Telmo Higino Gomes Moreira, (15) Escola de Danca do Conservatorio Nacional, Portugal
both did their contemporary solos

We also saw a young lady from the Rock School do her Contemporary I think she was
Kristie Latham, (16) The Rock School for Dance Education, Pennsylvania/USA but I was not sure where that fit in since there were still winners that did not perform.

MAY I ALSO ADD THAT WE SAW
Ryan Steele, (16) Dance Dynamics Performing Arts Center, Michigan/USA
he danced a contemporary piece by Carlos Dos Santos Jr

Womens Junior 1st place winner
Megumi Horiuchi, (14) Kaneta Kouno Ballet Academy, Japan
Harlequinade

Womens Senior 3rd place winner
Aurora Dickie, (18) Pavilhàod – Centro De Artes, Brazil
Don Q

Mens 2nd place (tie) winner I believe the website is incorrect he tied for 2nd not third.
Young Gyu Choi, (16) Tanz Akademie Zurich Taz, Switzerland
La Syllphide (in my opinion of the standout performances of the competition.)

We saw Witney Jenson and Reyes Reyneris perform the pas de deuz from the Pharoh's Daughter
There participated in the pas de deux competition (him as a non competing partner) but did not place.

The young man who did the Acteons solo from Diana and Acteon was the first place mens winner was indeed
Jim Nowakowski, (17) The Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education, New York/USA
Diana in Acteon
Jim and his partner also won the pas de deux competition. Outstanding everytime he sets foot on the stage.

Then we saw the Senior Grand Prix Winner
Melissa Hamilton, (18) Greece
La Bayadere

Excuse me I do not have them in correct order but 2 large ensemble groups also performed one was
Dance World made in Takane, Japan, "Ballad - Deep in My Heart" (that placed in second) their peice involve spinning chairs.
and
Formento Artistico Cordobes, Mexico, "Muy Dentro De La Tierra" the First place large ensembel winner
very large group of nymphs which sent the Mexican contingent in the audience wild.

Hope this helps.

The second act in my opinion is the best $150 I have spent in a while. It was inspiring and a wonderful opportunity to see some dancers I may never have the chance to see again in my lifetime.
When mentioning Marianela Nunoz's pirouettes which were eye popping I would like to add that their artistry and port de bras held just as much impact as her amazing fouettes. And their partnering was so smooth and elegant it really was artistry partnered with brilliance.

Memo

Memo,
Did the Honorary Grand Prix winner, Miles Pertl, perform at the Gala? He's a tall, thin, very talented 16 year old. We are delighted he did so well at the competition his first time out.

No he did not but he won a scholarship to JKO and I speculate that they want him there till the contract begins in Sept with Studio Company. He was quite a stand out with his height and his beautiful feet but was not the strongest dancer in the competition. ABT seems to be really going after the very tall boys at the moment and also took a very tall boy from RBS this year. They look for potential and he definitely has it.

correction: The young girl from the Rock school who did her contemporary in the gala was Sara Michelle Murawski. She was a top 12 senior, and it seems that they consider the entire top 12 group to be the 'winners.'

If I may be permitted....

For those long-time YAGP participants who remember Boris Shapiro when he gave the welcoming speeches at the beginning of the regional awards ceremonies, "EVERYONE is a winner."

That sentiment is certainly appreciated- I was merely making a direct and specific reply to the comment that was made about the issue of the gala performers. The post had stated that there was not enough room for all of the "winners" to perform, which clearly implied that the dancers from top 12 were not all winners. The person writing the original post likely did not intend it this way, but the post itself simply implies that only the top 3 would be the "winners." The question raised was about how it was possible for someone in the top 12 to perform in gala if all dancers from the top 3 in every category was not able to perform. The post I left was merely to say that it appears that yagp labeled the "winners" as those in top 12. Afterall, some use of labels seems logical, particularly since it was a "competition." So I hope that my reply to that specific aspect of the post did not start the process of changing the topic to semantics and/or the use of the word "winner," as I did not mean to lead into this topic at all.

It our shared sentiment and loyalty about all dancers which allows use to view them as all being the winners in our minds, if not in ceremony.

I hope this clarifies my reply to that post.

Of course, getting up on a stage in NYC and doing a solo takes a lot of nerve for any youth to execute; so they are all amazing winners. The dancers this year were talented and extraordinary beyond anything I have ever seen from amateurs anywhere.

I stand corrected. I was not sure about that one. Thanks.

Well if you are refering to my post. I was trying to report and who I saw, what they danced and a bit of editorial comment on my opinion on the performances all in one. I think there were people at the gala who had not sat at the competition with a program and was trying to make it easier for them to figure out who was who.
I felt that the young ladies contemporary was not anything out of the ordinary and seemed out of place in the line up. I felt the same way about Whitney Jenson and her partner doing the pas de deux I would like to have seen the first or second place pas de deux winners which I did not see at the competition. I heard that they were really excellent.
I have seen Larissa put up pieces that did not even make the final round that were interesting and different and worked really well. Obviously Larissa thought differently and it is her show. She always does an awesome job I just felt it was out of place in the line-up.

In one breath, you're calling them all winnners; in the next, you are putting down the girl from the Rock who did her contemporary. Whatever. She was beautiful. And I am sure Larissa put her there for exactly that reason. Please refrain from such comments about a child who dances in such an amazing event. It took a lot of bravery for any of them up there. If you don't have something nice to say about someone, then talk about someone else about whom you have something nice to say.

one last note, it was not all about flash and tricks. Larissa seemed to pick some pieces for the purity and beaity and some for the flash. So please appreciate the variety. That contemporary piece was certainly worthy of appreciation for its purity and beauty. This is true art. The same dancer did a tricky classical, in the sense that it required lots of piourettes and she executed them very, very well! So, you have to know the artistry aspect of dance in order to also appreciate pieces that are artistic and pure. The piece deserved to be in the line up very much.

Thank you all for your reports. I sense we might have some people posting who are close to the participants or the events. Remember, this board is to discuss ballet performances. That means we're going to get positive and negative posts (all expressed in a polite fashion). Yes, some of the performances here were by young people. We should be careful on how we treat that. However, Yagp chose to put them on stage in a public performance (at very high prices, I might add). If there are moms and dads and friends out there who might be sensitive to this thread, I suggest avoiding it. Thank you.

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"While we ask you to keep in mind that the objects of your criticism and their fans may very well read the site, as long as the post follows our Courtesy Policy, your opinions may be expressed on the board. No one need apologize for or justify courteous, well-reasoned criticism. You may disagree with the content, but please don't criticize the act of criticism."

and if you find that this will be hurtful, Dale has given great advice.

cierra19 - I just want to make a comment because you are new to the boards. Memo was just trying to give all of us who could not be there at YAGP this year some information about the YAGP Gala. If you will look at Memo's posts in the past, you will realize that she is not only a ballet teacher, but has a very talented son in the ballet world. She is very sensitive to the fact that many of us are the parents of children involved at YAGP or who have been involved at YAGP. She is one of the opinions we respect here on BT. I know that she means no harm to anyone and she is just stating an opinion. She has a high regard for YAGP, Larissa and other dancers.

So, welcome to BT. You should take some time and look around. You'll get to know the people here and you'll know that most of the members here are just looking for a place for information, for help, to share their love of ballet, and to have a safe dialogue about ballet issues.