YAGP Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow
A Spectacular Celebration of 25 Years of Dance at Lincoln Center Hosted by Andy Cohen who’s nickname is Barysnikov of Bravo and co-host former American Ballet Theatre dancer and YAGP alumna Melanie Hamrick, at Alice Tully Hall with Honoree Sarah Hoover Gala Chairs Marcella Guarino Hymowitz and Maria Cristina Anzola Guests Amy Astley Candace Bushnell Chelsea Clinton Zac Posen Rebecca Hessel Cohen Lucas Jagger Colby Mugrabi Michelle Ochs.
Dance Programs
YAGP Founder and Artistic Director, Larissa Saveliev, created a program that featured a U.S. Premiere from Lucia Lacarra and Matthew Golding (YAGP alumnus), choreographed by Edwaard Liaang and Golding; Paris Opera Ballet’s Germain Louvet and Hannah O’Neill (YAGP alumna) performed Le Parc by Angelin Prejlocaj; O’Neill and Friedemann Vogel (The Stuttgart Ballet) danced a pas de deux from Act III of Onegin by John Cranko. Louvet also presented a variation from Rudolf Nureyev’s Swan Lake.
The Stuttgart Ballet’s newest soloist, Yana Peneva (YAGP alumna), made her NY debut performing the pas de deux from Act II of Le Corsaire with Daniil Simkin. ABT Studio Company’s Kayla Mak and Max Barker (both YAGP alumni) danced George Balanchine’s Tarantella. Ballet Dortmund’s Artistic Director, Xin Peng Wang (in his final season), presented a World Premiere pièce d’occasion, performed by dancers Samuel Bassler and Daria Suzi, making their New York debuts. A highlight of the program included the winners of the YAGP 2025 international ballet competition, sharing the stage with their ballet idols in a grand performance to bring the season to a close.
Dance Perfomers
ZOEY ANDERSON (PARSONS DANCE), SAMUEL BASSLER (BALLETT DORTMUND), MATTHEW GOLDING (INTERNATIONAL GUEST ARTIST) *LUCIA LACARRA (INTERNATIONAL GUEST ARTIST) GERMAIN LOUVET (PARIS OPERA BALLET) HANNAH O’NEILL (PARIS OPERA BALLET) *YANA PENEVA (THE STUTTGART BALLET) *DANIL SIMKIN (INTERNATIONAL GUEST ARTIST) DARIA SUZI (BALLETT DORTMUND) FRIEDEMANN VOGEL (THE STUTTGART BALLET) MAX BARKER (ABT STUDIO COMPANY) *KAYLA MAK (ABT STUDIO COMPANY) *YAGP ALUMNI WORLD PREMIERE CHOREOGRAPHED AND PERFORMED BY ISAIAH DAY, ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER FEATURING ORIGINAL COMPOSITION AND MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY MATTHEW WHITAKER WITH A FEATUREDPERFORMANCE BY THE YAGP INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE (ICE) AND TALENTED YOUNG DANCERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.Programs
Gala Dinner With Committee & Guests
A Gala dinner with the Stars followed the performance, sponsored by Oscar de la Renta and Bucherer Fine Jewellery, chaired by Marcella Guarino Hymowitz and Maria Cristina Anzola (with her granddaughter, both in marabou feather boas), with a committee that included Julia Arnhold, Paul Arnhold and Wes Gordon, Janna Bullock, Chelsea Clinton with her two children, Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Courtney Davis, Aly Gradone, Melanie Hamrick, Lilli Hymowitz, Lindsay Kraus, Kamie Lightburn, Colby Mugrabi, Grace Pomeranc, Lilah Ramzi, Emily Reifel, Priya Shukla, Daniela W. Tisch, Barbara Tober, Virginia Tomenson, Lesley Thompson Vecsler, and Lina Wallach. Guests – including YAGP Board Members Chair Richard Osterweil, Carrie Kaufman, Josephine Lee, Kamie Lightburn, Lina Wallach, Yael Weiss, as well as Amy Astley, Harrison Ball and Zac Posen, Ashley Bouder, Candace Bushnell, Lucas Jagger, Andrew Martin-Webber, Judith Pisar, Leah Pisar, Jenni Pulos – posed with a giant ballet pointe shoe.
Gorgeous ballet slippers with jewels & flowers adorned the gala space, custom made for YAGP’s Pointe Project, designed by Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, A-Morir Studio, Attersee, Theory, DELPHINE, Fer Da Silva, Hill House Home, LoveShack Fancy!, Alexandre Birman, Alice and Olivia, Galvan London, Helmut Lang, Herve Leger, Libby Klein, Silvia Tcherassi, and TWP Clothing. Many of the designers were in attendance. The pointe shoes are up for auction until May 1st at 12pm, with 100% of proceeds supporting YAGP’s ongoing scholarship efforts. To bid click on link GiveButter.com/YAGP2025
Youth America Grand Prix: Elevating the Future of Dance Where Rising Stars Share the Stage with Legends
In 2023, YAGP reinstated its Job Fair, now held bi-annually in Europe at The Stuttgart Ballet’s John Cranko School in Germany and in America at Nashville Ballet. In 2024, YAGP celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a spectacular festival of dance at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. As part of the anniversary celebrations, 353 young dancers gathered at New York City’s iconic Plaza Hotel to set a Guinness World Record for “Most Dancers En Pointe,” and the United States Senate officially recognized Youth America Grand Prix as America’s National Youth
For many young dancers, winning at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is more than a milestone—it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Some are invited to share the stage with their idols—today’s ballet legends—at the prestigious Lincoln Center in New York City. It’s a powerful symbol of what YAGP represents: a bridge between aspiration and achievement. Today, over 500 YAGP alumni perform with more than 100 professional ballet companies across the globe, including renowned institutions such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and Mariinsky Ballet, among many others. Over 100 of these alumni have risen to the ranks of Soloists and Principal Dancers, a testament to the caliber of talent nurtured through the YAGP experience.
Youth America Grand Prix continues to innovate and remains more than a competition. It is a global movement, a lifeline for young artists, and a force for good in the world of dance.
