Youth America Grand Prix

Boston-Worcester, MA

General

Reviewer:

Parent

Dancer Age:

Competition experience:

2-5

Event Details

Round:

Regional

Season:

2024-25

Location:

Boston-Worcester, MA

Traveled to compete:

Yes

Regional was the closest:

Why this location:

The studio chose it for us.

Regionals attended:

Who encouraged multiple regionals:

By the School & Competition Staff

Competition Encouragement for Multiple Regionals:

More chances to do well and possibly be chosen for finals.

School Encouragement for Multiple Regionals:

Likely a money grab

Entry affiliation:

School

Rules Easy to Access?

Yes

Did Dancer Miss School?

Yes

Days of school missed:

Attended master classes:

Yes

Master Classes

Master Class Types:

Contemporary, Technique

Master class teachers:

Staff brought in by the competition

Distance from venue:

At the same venue

Received corrections:

Teacher engagement:

They walked around the room. Seemed To know some of the kids already and those were the favorites and the ones chosen for demonstration.

Crowding:


Really Crowded	Plenty of Room to Move

Master Class Feedback

Technique:

Contemporary:

Additional master class comments:

The contemporary was different than my daughter was used to. It wasn’t her favorite.

Performance Details

Venue name:

The Hanover Theater and Conservatory

Venue description:

The venue was very nice. A decent size theater with a lobby space where the merchandise was set up.

Stage description:

The students practiced with the stage size at the studio beforehand as it was a bit smaller than they were used to. There was Marley and it was a little sticky, but manageable.

Off-stage warm-up space:

There wasn’t a lot of warm up space besides a small area on the balcony floor.

Dressing rooms:

They were small and crowded. Dancers were only allowed a small bag with their costume and accessories.

Parents in dressing rooms:

Male dressing room:

Unsure

Parents backstage:

Onstage warm-up:

Open stage was crowded and she was not able to dance full out-only marking.

Schedule adherence:

Tended to mostly run on time

Staff communication:

Unsure

Parent seminar offered:

Judging

Judging rubric clarity:

Judges' attentiveness:

Some of the judges watched and some seemed distracted

Feedback turnaround:

A few days after the competition

Type of Feedback:

Numerical scores, Brief written feedback

Feedback helpfulness:


Not Helpful At All	Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway:

The feedback was brief and unhelpful. It didn’t seem to necessarily support her scores or placement. One of the judge’s comments- “flow was unreal-ATE.” He gave her a 99 for contemporary yet she wasn’t in the top 3.

Scoring felt fair:

Why Scoring Unfair?

We have been to YAGP several times over the years and have also closely followed the competition for awhile. I have seen judges visit studios just prior to the competition to clean routines that they will be judging that weekend. That has never felt right to me. I have also watched the judging panel wine and dine certain studios/schools while they are in town for the competition and then watched those schools do very well. I have seen many placements that seem like they had been changed or altered because it didn’t seem to match what we watched on stage.

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony:

At this particular event the emcee was super obnoxious and it made the awards hard to watch. The overall experience was fine. We have been to awards in the past where the seating wasn’t sufficient to accommodate the parents, so only the dancers and teachers were allowed to be present.

Won an award or training offer:

Yes

Festival offer:

Gala offer:

Invited to finals:

Award or Training Offer Description:

2 week partial scholarship at the International Contemporary Masters for placing in contemporary.

Final Comments

Best aspect:

The ability to train and perform in ballet.

Worst aspect:

Knowing that likely whatever happens may not have any reflection on your dancer or how they performed due to the bias.

Competition culture:

They want to set a culture of prestige and notoriety. My dancer has always felt proud to be able to have the opportunity to compete.

Attendee culture:

This varies widely from city to city. Sometimes it has felt classy and prestigious and sometimes it feels more like a regular competition dance environment.

Suggested changes:

I definitely think the judges at an event should not be allowed to visit prior to the competition to clean the dances. This seems like an unfair advantage and bias that could easily be eliminated.

Cost vs. expectation:


Significantly More	Significantly Less

Time worth it:


Not Worth It	Worth Every Minute

Overall rating:

Anything else?

If you are doing it for the training /experience and do not have set expectations, it may be worthwhile.