Greenwich Ballet Academy - Major Success At Youth Grand Prix Semi-Final

Seven-year-old school wins across categories with honors going to both students and teachers

Greenwich Ballet Academy announced a very successful weekend at the Youth American Grand Prix Semi-Final in Hartford, CT.  Three dancers placed high enough to advance to the April finals in New York City and one received the highest honor available at the regional level.

The Greenwich Ballet Academy nurtures talented young students toward careers in professional ballet, taking great care in directing each of its students on an individual path toward excellence.

“This achievement affirms the Academy’s goal to give students the skills and stage experience they need to achieve their dreams of being professional dancers,” said the Academy’s Chairman, Tina Volkwein. “We are proud of the hard work our teachers and students have dedicated to making these accomplishments possible.”

Ester Wells of Hopewell Junction, NY was presented with the Youth Grand Prix award for excellence in both classical and contemporary ballet. This award is the highest honor at the regional level, placing her in the top place overall in the Junior division. The award of the Grand Prix to Ester is also remarkable in that this is the second time in the Academy’s short 7-year history that a GBA student has won this award--the first was in 2011 when Katherine Higgins won the Grand Prix.

In the Pre-Competitive Division, Juliette Bosco of Fairfield, CT placed second and 10 year-old Elisabeth Beyer of Rye, NY (pictured in the groups photos) placed in the top twelve.  All three dancers scored high enough to advance to the finals in New York City in April.  The annually sold-out Youth America Grand Prix Closing Night Gala featuring YAGP finalists on the same program as the stars of the world’s leading dance companies, "Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow,” will take place at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

Additionally, 15 year-old Rye High School student Lindsey Wales competed in the Senior Classical category (pictured in the group photos).

Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition that awards over $250,000 annually in scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide. The competition is held annually around the world and in New York City, and is open to dance students of all nationalities 9-19 years old.

Launched in 1999 by two former dancers of the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet, Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, YAGP is also a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization created with a mission to provide extraordinary educational and professional opportunities to young dancers, acting as a stepping stone to a professional dance career.

“Our success at the Youth America Grand Prix underscores the value of the Greenwich Ballet Academy’s personalized instruction method using renowned professionals to teach small classes so that each student receives the personal attention and instruction they need to reach their ultimate potential,” says the Academy’s Artistic Director Yuri Vodolaga. “The Grand Prix's reputation as a showcase for dance students from around the world means that advancing to the New York City Finals provides a huge boost to their professional dance opportunities, and that is one of the Academy’s goals.”

In addition to the student’s accomplishments, the YAGP judges presented Mr. Yuri Vodolaga with the Outstanding Teacher's Award, accepted by him on behalf of all the Greenwich Ballet Academy’s faculty.  This honor is especially noteworthy considering that 90 schools were represented in this semi-final event.  Faculty who worked with Mr. Vodolaga to prepare GBA’s students for this event include: Anastasia Babayeva, Oksana Konobeyeva, Denis Gronostayskiy.  Possibly add?  These students performed well-known variations from classical ballets as well as original modern choreography by Mr. Gronostayskiy (Ester Wells).

In 14 seasons, YAGP has awarded over $2 million in scholarships to the leading dance schools worldwide. Over 25,000 dancers worldwide have participated in YAGP’s international workshops, competitions, and audition classes. Over 300 YAGP alumni are now dancing with 50 companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, among others.  YAGP’s contributions to international dance education were recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with a membership in UNESCO’s prestigious Conseil International de la Danse (CID). YAGP Judges are drawn from an international array of prominent companies and schools.

About Greenwich Ballet Academy

The Greenwich Ballet Academy is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) institution that nurtures talented dancers, ages 5-21, toward careers in classical ballet and contemporary dance with a unique emphasis on the Russian Vaganova method of instruction. GBA is the only school in the lower Fairfield and Westchester County area to offer this specialized type of training. The professional faculty also provide classes in modern and character dance, and contemporary ballet. GBA students have earned accolades at international ballet competitions and have joined professional ballet companies. For more information on performances and training, please visit the GBA website: www.greenwichballetacademy.org.

*Editor's note: the timestamp on this announcement has been updated for layout purposes.