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More than 400 hundred young ballet dancers from the Northeast
gathered in Massachusetts with the hopes of winning a
prestigious scholarship at the Youth America Grand Prix
auditions. The four-day competition at a historic theater in
Worcester, Massachusetts, is also one of the places where future
ballet stars are scouted and go on to perform at the American
Ballet Theatre, the Paris Opera Ballet and the New York City
Ballet.
“I love performing for people and becoming like a character when
I dance,” said Karli Wilkinson, a 15-year-old from Dighton,
Massachusetts, who was warming up under the watchful eye of her
mother, Ashley Wilkinson. Her makeup and brown costume was meant
to evoke a desert theme from another planet since her
performance would be to the music from the movie “Dune.”
“I don’t really think about how many people are in the
audience,” she added. “I don’t get too nervous. I mostly get
excited.”
Dressed in colorful outfits and their hair often tied in buns,
the dancers ages 9 to 19 mingled about as they waited to take
the stage. One after another in rapid-fire succession, they were
called out by their number and performed solos lasting several
minutes.
“It’s amazing to see all the hard work that these kids do. Dance
is often thought of as a sport that maybe is light. But these
kids work so, so hard each and every day, putting in 20, 30
hours a week,"said Ana Canelos, of North Falmouth. She called it
a “magnificent” opportunity to see her 16-year-old and
10-year-old daughters perform along with others.
“To compete with just the caliber of individuals who are here,
it’s amazing,” she added.
Organizers said about 1,200 dancers will be chosen from the 32
auditions held in the U.S. and the 14 worldwide to compete in
the finals in April in Tampa, Florida. Thousands of scholarships
will be offered at the auditions and also the finals. The
scholarships provide opportunities for short-term, summer, or
year-round study at leading dance schools and programs
worldwide.
“It's an incredible opportunity for these dancers to be seen by
the directors of schools and companies in the U.S and abroad,”
said Racheal Nye, the director of school and studio company at
the Oklahoma City Ballet.
Over the past 25 years, Youth America Grand Prix has awarded $5
million in scholarships to the world’s leading dance schools,
with about $450,000 now given out each year.
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