Youth America Grand Prix 2025
Alice Tully Hall
Lincoln Center
New York, New York
April 29, 2025
Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala
Jerry Hochman
In a relatively short time, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) has become an international institution. What used to be an annual ritual/celebration following some some “feeder” auditions/ competitions has morphed over the years into an almost weekly – make that almost daily – world-wide series of performances by young dancers who want to see their peers and be seen by dance luminaries and company personnel they most likely would never have met, much less taken a clas with, received a scholarship from, or offered a contract with, on their own.
Additionally, YAGP hosts several social media sites, effectively online “bulletin boards,” which provide up-to-date information regarding the most recent accomplishments by its equally endless supply of alumnae, and memorializes exceptional performances of young students in competitions world-wide. All this exposes the young ballet students to audiences far wider in scope than most could have anticipated, and it elevates certain particularly accomplished students to star status far sooner than might otherwise have been the case. And it seems now to be unending: as soon as one year of competition ends, the next year’s competition begins.
What also have become international institutions are the gala celebrations that conclude each year’s competition, and that now also conclude certain regional competitions and at other Special Events worldwide. And then there’s the mother gala of them all, known as the Stars of Today Meet the Stars Tomorrow (“SOTMSOT”), populated by students at each location who have earned recognition by medaling (or some other criteria), and by present-day international ballet stars.
The Final Gala this competition year was held on January 29th at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, following a week of “Final Final” competitions in Tampa, FL, and a Gala there before presenting the “Final Final” Gala in New York.
These end-of-competition galas have become a little confusing, since regional medalists get to claim to be YAGP award winners even though the award was a product of a regional competition rather than the “Final Finals.” But since the goal here is to create as broad a nurturing umbrella as possible, no one seems to mind.
For whatever reason, this year’s SOTMSOT gals was under-impressive. It’s not that the dancers involved did a poor job – they didn’t. But even with a full house audience, it was all at a lower caliber than at prior Galas. Not only were there no dancers from Russia, which is regrettable, but at the same time understandable, there were none from The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, the Australian Ballet, and that only scratches the surface. I can hypothesize reasons for this grounded on national and international political developments, but I’ll save that rant for another day.
Be that as it may, the performances were generally high-caliber, and the absence of huge “names” (with one exception) served to shift the focus to the participating young dancers, where it should be anyway.
It’s tempting to begin this review with the program’s highlights, but that would be unfair. My comments below are to the performances seriatim.
The evening opened with a brief, thoroughly engaging little dance to Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” by 11-year old Alianna Nassos, from the Amirian Ballet Academy in CA, choreographed by Nassos (at 11 years old!) and Ashley Yano. The professionalism and engaging delivery by this young dancer were quite extraordinary. No mention was made as to the extent of her participation in YAGP, but her little performance not only prepared the audience for a rewarding evening, but also for the inevitable cuteness overload to come.
Following a video that introduced “YAGP GLOBE,” 21 young dancers, described as winners from the YAGP 2025 season (some of whom appeared later in the evening) danced to a piece titled Piece d’occasion, choreographed by Xin Peng Wang. They were led by two professional dancers from Ballett Dortmund, Daria Suzi and Samuel Bassler. It would be too burdensome to list all 21 young dancers by name, but the group appeared to indeed be a global representation. That being said, this dance lacked the majesty and complexity – and the number of participants – of “Gala Grand Defile,” choreographed by Carlos dos Santos, Jr. and an annual extravaganza. [To be fair, the FINAL FINALS this year was in Tampa, FL, and the same number of young dancers as in prior years may not have been available for an additional trip to NYC.]
Next up was an excerpt from David Lichine’s Graduation Ball, danced quite competently by three student dancers from Li’s Ballet Studio in California: Chloe Fan, Amy Li, and Michelle Qu, each of whom was, maybe, ten years old. I was well on my way to my annual YAGP cuteness overload.
Sylvie Win Szyndlar in Crystal Huang’s “Swan”
Photo by LK Studios
But that didn’t prepare me for the next dance. Titled Swan, the piece is a solo – but not at all the dying swan that one might have anticipated; this is a feisty swan. And she has a friend. Performed by 9 year old Sylvie Win Szyndlar, a student at the Master Ballet Academy in AZ, the dance was delivered with an animated and angular style (as choreographed) and exceptional attack, as if she’d been rehearsing it all her young life (which may have been the case). Szyndlar won a second place (silver) award in the Pre-Competition Women’s Classical Dance Category, AND first place (gold) in the Pre-Competition Women’s Contemporary Dance Category. Equally extraordinary is that the dance was choreographed by a silver medalist at last year’s YAGP NY Finals (the Final Finals), who must now be all of, maybe, 16: Crystal Huang. The last time I looked, she was a student at ABT’s JKO School. That “last time I looked” was last summer, when she danced a solo choreographed by Brady Farrar, who won YAGP’s Hope Award, and subsequently became a JKO student and, as of last year, a member of American Ballet Theatre. Another example of the YAGP circle being unbroken.
Daniil Simkin in Ben Van Cauwenbergh’s “Les Bourgeois”
Photo by LK Studios
A different kind of unbroken circle was the initial appearance of now International Guest Artist Daniil Simkin. Simkin performed Les Bourgeois, a solo choreographed by Ben Van Cauwenbergh to music by the late French balladeer Jacques Brel. He danced the same solo at the 2018 YAGP Gala, and performed as well here as he did then, even considering that seven years had passed between these performances. Simkin was low-key when he needed to be, and explosive when it was appropriate. I wrote that sentence seven years ago, and it’s still applicable.
Isaiah Day and (on piano) Matthew Whitaker
in “Lift Me Up”
Photo by LK Studios
Isaiah Day, a dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater followed with the world premiere of his own choreographed creation, a solo titled Lift Me Up, to music composed (and played live) by Emmy-nominated pianist Matthew Whitaker, who is multi-challenged physically. The piece is a little bit over the top at first, with Day, enrobed like a person with certain religious stature. But the dance calmed as it proceeded (or I just got used to it), and ultimately I found the piece quite impressive. Day was named as one of 25 to Watch (in 2025) by Dance Magazine, and is a winner of this year’s YAGP Emerging Choreographers Award. [The second award winner was represented later in the program.]
One of the evening’s stars – well, two of them – followed. Hannah O’Neill and Germain Louvet, both Etoiles with Paris Opera Ballet, danced the pas de deux from Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Parc. The pas de deux (aka the “kissing” pas de deux) is familiar to gala-goers world-wide, but O’Neill and Louvet delivered measurably greater emotion to a dance that already has it in abundance. Their rendition was very well done – without being overbaked.
Hannah O’Neill and Germain Louvet
in the pas de deux from Angelin Prejlocaj’s “Le Parc”
Photo by LK Studios
Two competition winners followed. Kiera Sun, who won First Place in this year’s Final Final round competition in the Junior Women category (in a tie for first place with another dancer) danced a Black Swan Variation from Swan Lake. Sun, from the Dimitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy in CA, is all of 14, but she handled the technical aspect of the Black Swan role commendably, and added characterization that for someone Sun’s age is quite remarkable.
She was followed by Jeon Minchul, from the Korea National University of Arts in South Korea, dancing Albrecht’s Variation from Giselle. Minchul won the YAGP Grand Prix this year (which is a “best overall” award, and one not routinely awarded), and his performance here demonstrated why. His execution was princely, and smooth as silk. My understanding is that he’s headed to the Mariinsky.
Kayla Mack and Max Barker
in George Balanchine’s “Tarantella”
Photo by LK Studios
A striking ensemble piece followed, performed by 15 young ladies from Rock Center for Dance in NV. Titled Midas, and choreographed by Quinn Calahan, the dance, which was awarded Second Place in this year’s Contemporary Ensembles category, is a mesmerizing diorama of 12-14 year old dance students dressed in unitards and with facial make-up that made them all look like they’d been playing in the mud – or maybe digging for gold. Notwithstanding their apparent ages, this is not a “cuteness-overload” type of dance. There was a serious, almost somber quality about it that dances for young students in that age group don’t usually contain. All appeared to know what they were doing, and it was difficult to avoid watching them – not that one would want to.
In one of the evening’s highlights, two dancers from the ABT Studio Company followed, performing George Balanchine’s Tarantella. The piece is familiar, but the gloriously animated execution isn’t. The two dancers, Kayla Mack and Max Barker, nailed it. Barker already has professional level technique, with highly impressive ballon (among other qualities), and Mack is fun to watch light up a stage with a smile that could melt ice. I look forward to seeing each of them again in the near future.
Lucia Lacarra and Matthew Golding
in Edward Liang and Golding’s “Borealis”
Photo by LK Studios
Lucia Lacarra, a former Principal with Bayerisches Staatsballett, has been a fixture on many gala programs; Matthew Golding, who was born in Canada, was formerly a Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet. Both are currently International Guest Artists. I’ve seen Lacarra at YAGP galas going back at least as far as 2014, and I wrote at the time that the Spanish-born dancer had been around the block for many years. That was eleven years ago – now it’s more like a highway than a block. Nevertheless, she still has the incredible fluidity and soaring extensions she displayed when I first saw her. They appeared here in the U.S. Premiere of Borealis, a piece co-choreographed by Edwaard Liang and Golding to familiar music (“Orlando,” and “Summer(2),” each composed by Max Richter – the latter a Vivaldi piece that Richter recomposed). The dance was originally choreographed solely by Liang, and was performed by Lacarra and Golding at least two years ago. Not having seen the original, I can’t comment on any changes Golding made. Regardless, the dance is lovely to watch, with a backdrop projection that changes over time from brilliant sunset to starlit night.
What followed were two excerpts that perhaps should have been reconsidered. YAGP’s ICE (no, not that ICE – International Contemporary Ensemble), a company that draws young dancers world-wide and performs at a variety of YAGP events (and likely in other capacities as well). In past years I was highly impressed by the group, and that remains the case. But the piece they danced, an excerpt from Pupo, choreographed by Sophia Nappi, displayed the dancers’ individual and collective energy, but that’s about it.
YAGP International Contemporary Ensemble
in an excerpt from Sofia Nappi’s “Pupo”
Photo by LK Studios
This was succeeded by Alexei Orchovsky, listed as a recent graduate of the John Cranko School, appearing in the Acteon Variation from Diana and Acteon, in the original version choreographed by Vaganova. While Orchovsky is an able dancer with an appealing stage presence, the piece didn’t show much attack. Several year ago, at another YAGP Gala, the same variation (though likely as modified by Rudolf Nureyev) was performed by then up-and-coming dancer Daniel Camargo (now an ABT Principal), accompanied by then soon-to-be ABT Principal Sarah Lane, in which the Acteon variation was danced with far greater power. Surely YAGP could have found a ballerina to provide the complete Diana and Acteon Variation – perhaps another recent Cranko School graduate who just happened to be participating in the Gala, in the evening’s final dance.
Two more student dancer performances followed. Nirvana, an ensemble piece choreographed by Siqi Luo, was presented by 12 young dancers (maybe 10-12 years old) from OAEC in TX. It sounds simple-looking: each dancer carries a fan-type accessory that she maneuvers, together with her own body and concurrently with identical movement by the other dancers. I’d say that it’s a typical Asian contemporary dance, but I’m liable to get nasty letters if I do. Suffice it to say that the piece, and the girls dancing it, and those “fans,” all looked gorgeous, and made an enticingly colorful visual presentation. And cuteness overload doesn’t tell the half of it.
Another novelty dance followed, which also happened to be both well-done and fun to watch. Q, a piece choreographed by Hanna Brictson, also a YAGP 2025 Emerging Choreographer Award winner, is a duet for California-based 17-year old identical twin dancers Mackenzie Chu Robin and Skylar Chu Robin. The piece was awarded Second Place in this year’s Duet/Trios category. These dancers aren’t just “good” ballet dancers: they’re very good (based on what they demonstrated here), commanding but at the same time engaging, and when dancing in a piece that showcases their ability as well as their twinness, guaranteed to produce smiles
The balance of the program was filled with stars of today.
Louvet returned with a variation from Swan Lake. The variation is sometimes called the “Hamlet” variation. I recall that when Rudolph Nureyev presented his version of the ballet in New York, with this variation, many years ago, it created a mini-sensation. It’s far more common now as adopted (and adapted) by other choreographers. Louvet executed it with appropriate soul.
Anyone who’s seen David Parsons Dance over the past few years doubtless has seen Zoey Anderson’s rendition of his Caught. Some might call it shtick in its utilization of strobe lighting, but it’s far more than gimmicky. It requires pin-point accuracy, which Anderson always delivers. The reaction of the Gala audience seemed to reflect a lack of familiarity with the piece – I saw many looking awestruck. It, and Anderson’s performance of it, are unforgettable.
Tiler Peck had been scheduled to reprise her prior YAGP appearance in an excerpt from Balanchine’s glitzy Who Cares?, opting instead to watch her husband’s debut in Apollo across the plaza. It’s where I would have been there too were it not for this Gala. NYCB Principal Unity Phelan replaced her and did her usual fine work with it.
Hannah O’Neill and Germain Louvet
in a pas de deux from John Cranko’s “Onegin”
Photo by LK Studios
What some consider to be the Gala’s two main performances concluded the program. First, Hannah O’Neill returned, this time partnered by the Stuttgart Ballet’s Friedemann Vogel, in the concluding pas de deux from Act III of John Cranko’s masterpiece, Onegin. I’ve previously written that this is one of my favorite ballets, so any opportunity to see any part of this all too rarely performed ballet is a gift. In this piece, it seemed that the choreography was slightly (very slightly) different from what I recall from the most recent ABT run, but effectively there was no difference. O’Neill and Vogel did fine work with it, particularly since there was no context within which to construct a characterization or that provides their common history.
Yana Peneva and Daniil Simkin
in the pas de deux from “Le Corsaire”
Photo by LK Studios
The evening concluded with Simkin’s return, this time accompanied by Yana Peneva, the Stuttgart Ballet’s newest Soloist (who only joined the company less than a year ago). Although she has a lengthy (and award-winning) history with YAGP, Peneva was making her New York debut. The two performed the Le Corsaire Act II pas de deux. Even though she was a bit too tall for him, they pulled it off with well. I didn’t have a basis for comparison, since I’d not previously seen her, but Peneva is already quite popular, and will become more so with increasing appearances before wider audiences. In addition to her other, more mundane, qualities, she has leg extensions that stretch to forever, and a pleasant stage demeanor. Like one of her YAGP-award-winning predecessors, Mackenzie Brown, who is now a Stuttgart Principal, she has the brightest of futures.
Things have changed over the years, and YAGP now communicates its award-winners on social media, in some cases together with their performances. So this year I’ll limit my listing of award-winners to a limited number of categories. If the reader wants further information, check the YAGP web site.
SENIOR AGE DIVISION
GRAND PRIX Jeon Minchul 20 Korea National University of Arts, South Korea
WOMEN
1ST PLACE Hanxi Wang 17 Shanghai Dance School, China
2ND PLACE Soomin Cho 16 Sunhwa Arts High School, South Korea
3RD PLACE Tamara Arandia Montero 15 En Pro del Talento Veracruzano (PROVER), Mexico
MEN
1ST PLACE Eric Poor 15 Cary Ballet Conservatory, NC, USA
2ND PLACE Jaeseung Sung 19 Korea National University of Arts, South Korea
3RD PLACE Hoyeon Kim 18 ABT JKO School, NY, USA
JUNIOR AGE DIVISION
WOMEN
1ST PLACE (TIE) Kiera Sun 14 Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy , CA, USA
1ST PLACE (TIE) Natsuki Sugimoto 12 Ohara Yoshimi Ballet Studio, Japan
2ND PLACE April Langstraat 14 Medhi Ballet Coaching, New Zealand
3RD PLACE Chloe Helimets 14 Bayer Ballet Academy, CA, USA
MEN
1ST PLACE Kunbyulbit Pak 14 Korea National Institute for Gifted in Arts, South Korea
2ND PLACE Leon Yusei Sai 13 Southland Ballet Academy, CA, USA
3RD PLACE Riquelme Rodriguez 13 Marcia Bueno Escola de Dança, Brazil
PRE-COMPETITIVE AGE DIVISION
HOPE AWARD Spencer Collins 11 Westside School of Ballet, CA, USA
CLASSICAL DANCE CATEGORY
WOMEN
1ST PLACE Hana Terada 10 YARITA YU BALLET STUDIO, Japan
2ND PLACE Sylvie Win Szyndlar 9 Master Ballet Academy, AZ, USA
3RD PLACE Kamilla Latifi 11 Conservatório Internacional de Ballet e Dança Annarella, Sanchez, Portugal
MEN
1ST PLACE Marko Kokovic 11 Timothy M Draper Center for Dance Education, NY, USA
2ND PLACE Samuel Almeida 10 Cia Jovem teatro Basileu Franca, Brasil
3RD PLACE Daigaku Katayama 10 Hakucho Ballet Academy, Japan
CONTEMPORARY DANCE CATEGORY
WOMEN
1ST PLACE Sylvie Win Szyndlar 9 Master Ballet Academy, AZ, USA
2ND PLACE Calla Massey 10 The Green Room Dance Studio, KY, USA
3RD PLACE (TIE) Teona Shkolnik 11 DanceWorks, Israel
3RD PLACE (TIE) Kaia Erby 11 The Ballet Club, AZ, USA
MEN
1ST PLACE Marko Kokovic 1 Timothy M Draper Center for Dance Education, NY, USA
2ND PLACE Yusei Yoshitake 10 Yukari Yoshitake ballet studio, Japan
3RD PLACE Jeffrey Wu 10 Han Performing Arts Academy, CA, USA
ENSEMBLES
CHARACTER ENSEMBLES
1ST PLACE Danza Del Fuego School of Philadelphia Ballet, PA, USA
2ND PLACE Zapateado Coastal Dance Centre, SC, USA
3RD PLACE Magic Kitchen OAEC, TX, USA
CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLES
1ST PLACE Abylis En Pro del Talento Veracruzano (PROVER), Mexico
2ND PLACE Midas The Rock Center for Dance, NV, USA
3RD PLACE (TIE) Echo National Conservatory Artístic Dance School, Portugal
3RD PLACE (TIE) Masc-Ed Joffrey Ballet School, NY, USA
CLASSICAL ENSEMBLES
1ST PLACE Pas De Quatre From The Flames Of Paris The HARID Conservatory, FL, USA
2ND PLACE Classical Symphony 1st Movement The Rock School for Dance – West Chester, PA, USA
3RD PLACE Carmen Suite Colorado Ballet Academy, CO, USA
DUET/TRIOS
1ST PLACE One Nation Under DanceWorks, Israel
2ND PLACE Q Independent, CA, USA 3RD PLACE (TIE) Cipollino Inspired Movement Ballet Conservatory, CA, USA
3RD PLACE (TIE) A Numbers Game Edge School, Canada
SPECIAL AWARDS
MAKAROVA AWARD FOR ARTISTRY
Athena Hu
SHELLEY KING AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Bridget O’Rourke
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