Youth America Grand Prix

Pittsburgh, PA

General

Reviewer:

Parent

Dancer Age:

Competition experience:

6-10

Event Details

Round:

Regional

Season:

2025-26

Location:

Pittsburgh, PA

Traveled to compete:

Yes

Regional was the closest:

Yes

Regionals attended:

Rationale for multiple regionals:

Personally, my ideal number of competitions to attend in one season is 2. By the 3rd, I feel burnt out, and we start missing too much school (regular school). I think just one would feel like not enough. 2 let's you take critiques from the first performance and apply it to the second.

Who encouraged multiple regionals:

By the School

School Encouragement for Multiple Regionals:

Our studio attends multiple venues purely for the experience (performing on a stage + participating in master classes + getting to watch other dancers). If you're going to work hard on a dance, might as well perform it more than once.

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:

Can't remember

Distance from venue:

Less than five miles away

Received corrections:

Teacher engagement:

Since parents are not allowed to watch the masterclasses, this is just from what my dancer has shared with me. She says that usually the only adult in the master class is the teacher. Nobody else is watching. She says teachers usually seem to have a few favorite students that they focus on. But otherwise, she enjoys the classes.

Crowding:


Really Crowded	Plenty of Room to Move

Master Class Feedback

Technique:

Contemporary:

Additional master class comments:

It is hard to say since I was not observing the class. Sometimes the classes are just the right amount of challenge, and sometimes they are too easy (in the precompetitive division).

Performance Details

Venue name:

Byham Theater

Venue description:

I always wonder why they have the second floor closed off. With the entire center section being roped off due to photography/videography/judges seating, seating feels very limited and it is very difficult to get in and out of the auditorium.

Stage description:

Unsure

Off-stage warm-up space:

Dancers just find empty spaces in the hallways to warm up

Dressing rooms:

Unsure

Parents in dressing rooms:

Male dressing room:

Yes

Parents backstage:

Onstage warm-up:

N/A

Schedule adherence:

Tended to run ahead

Other schedule comments:

The competition ran early and we were not notified, so my dancer missed open stage

Staff communication:

I feel like communication is frequently last-minute

Parent seminar offered:

Judging

Judging rubric clarity:

Judges' attentiveness:

Some of the judges watched and some seemed distracted

Feedback turnaround:

unsure. I think about a week or two.

Type of Feedback:

Numerical scores, Brief written feedback

Feedback helpfulness:


Not Helpful At All	Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway:

Each judge provides 1-2 sentences

Scoring felt fair:

Unsure

Why Scoring Unfair?

The scores don't really help us know what we need to do in order to improve.

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony:

Parents were first told that they would not be allowed to be in the auditorium for the awards ceremony due to limited seating, but at the last minute, most parents were able to get in.

Won an award or training offer:

Yes

Festival offer:

Gala offer:

Invited to finals:

Award or Training Offer Description:

Prefer not to answer because we don't want to be ID'd. We usually receive a small percentage off a summer program tuition.

Final Comments

Best aspect:

The best aspects are getting to spend time with friends in a new city, watching all the hard work pay off on stage, making new friends, and watching amazing solos and group numbers from around the country.

Worst aspect:

I wish schedules were published much farther in advance than 6-7 days. I wish the awards ceremonies ended a little bit earlier. I wish the judges gave each dancer an equal amount of attention.

Competition culture:

There is definitely a vibe of favoritism. The dancers who are featured multiples times a day on YAGP's social media tend to be the ones invited to all the special events. With thousands of talented dancers participating, I feel they should make an effort to feature a more diverse array of dancers.

Attendee culture:

Most dancers and families are so nice. We have not had a problem with anyone.

Suggested changes:

1. Finalize and share competition schedules at least a few weeks in advance. 2. Encourage the photographers to please pay attention to the pictures they are taking (many times it seems as if they are pressing the shutter without even looking) 3. If the competition receives constructive criticism, evaluate how to make the program better instead of pretending like there are no issues.

Cost vs. expectation:


Significantly More	Significantly Less

Time worth it:


Not Worth It	Worth Every Minute

Overall rating:

Anything else?

Don't go for the awards or scholarships because those are few and far in between. Make fun plans to explore the area when you are not competing. Encourage your dancer to say hello to new people and work on their people skills.