BALLET HELP DESK

Youth America Grand Prix

Chicago, IL

General

Dancer Age

Competition experience

Event Details

Round

Regional

Season

Location

Chicago, IL

Regional was the closest

Why this location

"Timing and studio recommendation"

Regionals attended

Rationale for multiple regionals

"My student was in their first year of competing and had next to no experience performing solos onstage. Having the chance to dance multiple times without the pressure of being eligible to win was very beneficial."

Who encouraged multiple regionals

Competition Encouragement for Multiple Regionals

"To gain valuable performance experience prior to Finals. All regionals after the first one were free and student was no longer eligible to place."

School Encouragement for Multiple Regionals

"To better chances of winning the top prize"

Did Dancer Miss School?

Master Classes

Why no master class	"Conflicted with travel plans" "It was the same day/time as the St Patrick’s Day dyeing the river Green Party and we didn’t want to deal with crowds/drunk people."

Performance Details

Venue name

"Don’t remember"
"Lund Auditorium"

Venue description

"Tiny stage but more room to warmup"
"Small. The stage was surprisingly small for such a big competition."

Stage description

"Marley, slippery, TINY STAGE"
"Marley, slippery, small stage"

Off-stage warm-up space

"Hallways and another small stage area"
"Big schools got their own rooms. My dancer was the only person from her small school and was in a smaller auditorium."

Dressing rooms

"Dressing rooms were assigned by YAGP, very organized"
"There were no dressing rooms. You were in a small theater with no privacy or mirrors."

Onstage warm-up

"Crowded and overwhelming"
"It was crowded as the stage was small."

Schedule adherence

Other schedule comments

"It was hard to tell when your dancer would be up because they kept bouncing around number wise."

Staff communication

"Very good. A full day was cancelled due to a snowstorm and YAGP successfully rescheduled everything so everyone there could perform"
"None."

Judging

Judges' attentiveness

Feedback turnaround

Type of Feedback

Feedback helpfulness

Not Helpful At All


Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway

"As expected. No coded language"
"At first we got someone else’s scores. Then they sent my daughter’s. Most of the comments/scores were exactly the same. Cut and paste."

Scoring felt fair

Why Scoring Unfair?

"Scoring was all over the place. Most high scores and then one low one to bring down the average it felt like."

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony

"Missed it due to schedule changes and flights"
"Went into awards knowing one school in particular was said to win and they did. It was pretty obvious that a few schools were the favorites."

Invited to finals

Award or Training Offer Description

"Don’t remember all the scholarships and cannot describe award since who won what in each season and regional is public knowledge"
"Acceptance to summer intensive."

Final Comments

Best aspect

"First YAGP was as expected"
"It was fun for my dancer to perform on stage."

Worst aspect

"Tiny stage"
"The judges didn’t even watch. It was pretty clear that the winners were predetermined."

Competition culture

"N/A"
"It seemed pretty unfair."

Attendee culture

"N/A"
"The parents were intense. Many dancers seemed stressed/were getting yelled at."

Suggested changes

"N/A"
"Better venue. Fair judging."

Cost vs. expectation

Significantly More


Significantly Less

Time worth it

Not Worth It


Worth Every Minute

Overall rating

Anything else?

"N/A"
"If you’re not with the school that typically wins that regional it’s best to save your money if placement is important to you."