Youth America Grand Prix

Winston-Salem, NC

General

Reviewer

Dancer Age

Competition experience

Event Details

Round

Regional

Season

Location

Winston-Salem, NC

Traveled to compete

Why this location

"the dates worked for our schedule"

Did Dancer Miss School?

Master Classes

Master Class Types

Master class teachers

"Judges"
"Barry Kerollis, Diana White, Dmitri Kulev, Sebastian Vinet та Gennadi Saveliev"

Distance from venue

How corrections were given

"Corrections given to the group."
"We got corrections as a group, and sometimes the teacher gave individual corrections too"

What corrections were about

"Corrections were for the dancing/barre/center"
"Mostly technique, placement, musicality, and performance. The teachers were really helpful and encouraging"

Teacher engagement

"Masterclasses were positive with the instructor conducting it like a regular dance class."
"The teachers were really engaged and had great energy. They walked around, watched everyone, and gave corrections throughout the class"

Crowding

Really Crowded


Plenty of Room to Move

Master Class Feedback

Technique

Additional master class comments

"Quality class"
"Both classes were really fun and challenging. The teachers gave helpful corrections and the combinations were great. I learned a lot and really enjoyed both classes."

Performance Details

Venue name

"UNCSA"
"Richard J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium"

Venue description

"It was a back-up location because of snow. It was a small stage but thankful they were able to find a venue last minute."
"The venue was smaller than usual, but it was comfortable enough and had a really nice, cozy feeling"

Stage description

"Slippery floor but stage was large enough to dance."
"There was professional marley and the stage worked well for the competition. It was smaller than a typical YAGP stage, but we were still able to perform normally"

Off-stage warm-up space

"With it being held at UNCSA, there were plenty of dance studios for warming up.."
"The warm-up space was pretty small and a little crowded, but we were able to make it work"

Dressing rooms

"Adequate dressing room."
"The dressing rooms were smaller than usual and pretty crowded, but everything worked out."

Parents in dressing rooms

Parents backstage

Onstage warm-up

"Normal experience."
"The open stage warm-up went well. The stage was smaller than we were used to, but we had enough time to get comfortable with the space before performing."

Schedule adherence

Other schedule comments

"None"
"There was a major winter storm and the original theater unexpectedly didn’t open. YAGP had to find another venue basically at the last minute, and somehow they still made the competition happen. The new theater was smaller and not as comfortable as a normal YAGP venue, but honestly I was just really impressed that they pulled it off. Everything still ran well and the smaller space actually made it feel kind of warm and cozy. The YAGP team handled a really difficult situation so well"

Staff communication

"Lots of changes because of the weather. Could have communicated better. Posting on social media only is not the best way to communicate."
"Communication was really good, especially with everything changing so last minute. The staff kept everyone updated and did their best to keep things organized."

Judging

Type of Feedback

Feedback helpfulness

Not Helpful At All


Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway

"Could have received more feedback."
"The feedback was really helpful and positive. It gave me a better idea of what I’m doing well and what I still need to work on. I definitely used the corrections in my training after the competition"

Scoring felt fair

Why Scoring Unfair?

"Would like for them to mimic other competitions with verbal critiques."

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony

"It's a formal experience. Sometimes confusing and you can loose track on what is being announced."
"The awards ceremony was really exciting and had such a fun energy. Everyone was cheering for each other, and it felt really special to be there"

Won an award or training offer

Award or Training Offer Description

"Top 12 award"

Final Comments

Best aspect

"Quality of dancers. It's the best that's out there."
"Honestly, the best part was that the competition happened at all. We had a major winter storm, tons of snow, and the original theater didn’t open. YAGP had to find another venue at the very last minute, and they somehow made it happen. I’m really grateful they didn’t just cancel."

Worst aspect

"Feels like big schools get a lot of awards."
"The last-minute venue change made everything a little stressful, and the new theater was smaller and not as comfortable as a normal YAGP venue. But that really wasn’t YAGP’s fault. The weather was crazy and they did the best they could with the situation."

Competition culture

"High prestige."
"Really positive and supportive. Even with everything going on, the staff stayed calm and made it still feel exciting and special for the dancers."

Attendee culture

"Necessary for social media."
"Everyone was really supportive and understanding. People were cheering for each other and just seemed happy that the competition was still happening."

Suggested changes

"Students competing at more than one regional."
"Nothing major. Considering what happened with the weather and the venue, I think they handled everything really well."

Time worth it

Not Worth It


Worth Every Minute

Overall rating

Anything else?

"Don't trust all of the hype on social media. It's just a competition at the end of the day."
"I’m honestly just really grateful to YAGP for making this competition happen. We had a major winter storm in North Carolina with a lot of snow, and the original theater didn’t open. Canceling would have been completely understandable and it wouldn’t have been YAGP’s fault at all. Instead, the team found another theater at the last minute and still gave all of us the chance to perform. The venue wasn’t as big or comfortable as usual, but that really didn’t matter. They made it work, and it actually ended up feeling really warm and special. I’ll always be grateful that they didn’t give up and cancel on us."