Youth America Grand Prix 2007 NYC Finals - New York City - April 27 – 30, 2007
"Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow" YAGP 2007 Gala - NY City Center n Monday, April 30th, 2007

New York, NY (February 15, 2007) – The world's largest student ballet scholarship competition, Youth America Grand Prix, opened its 8th season with a participant exchange program with Prix de Lausanne (Switzerland), which would allow dancers from each competition to benefit from the scholarship opportunities available at both. According to the agreement between the competitions, finalists who have not received a scholarship at one of the competitions will be eligible to participate in the other without having to pass the selective rounds. By combining their scholarship-giving capacities, these two of the most important scholarship competitions in the world hope to create a wider network of opportunity for young dancers worldwide. Details are available on the YAGP website, www.yagp.org. YAGP's other season news includes partnering with the International Ballet Festival of Miami (IBFM) to create performance opportunities for YAGP participants at the Festival alongside some of the leading international ballet stars.

Names of the YAGP finalists chosen to proceed to the 2008 edition of the Prix de Lausanne as part of this exchange program will be announced at the YAGP 2007 Finals scheduled take place in New York City on April 27-30, 2007 and culminating with the annually sold-out YAGP Gala, "Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow" on April 30th, 2007. The Gala will feature the leading stars of Paris Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Ballet of the Teatro National do Rio do Janeiro, ABT, NYCB, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, MOMIX, and the international finalists of the competition.

Tickets to "Stars of Today meet the Stars of Tomorrow" Gala are $150, $100, $75, and $45, and can be purchased by calling CityTix® at 212.581.1212, online at www.nycitycenter.org or in person at NY City Center Box Office located on West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. For more info, visit www.YAGP.org .

As America's first and the world's largest student ballet scholarship competition, Youth America Grand Prix has revolutionized the process of professional development for young dancers everywhere. Founded in 1999 by two former Bolshoi Ballet dancers, Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, this New York-based 501(C)(3) international non-profit educational organization annually awards over $200,000 in scholarships to the leading dance schools worldwide in addition to providing the opportunity to receive professional job contracts to dance companies around the world. YAGP offers dance students the rare opportunity to be seen, taught and professionally guided by the directors and faculty of the world's foremost companies and schools, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, The Ailey School, Australian Ballet School, Canada's National Ballet School, John Cranko School of Stuttgart Ballet (Germany), La Scala Ballet Academy (Italy), Paris Opera Ballet School (France), and The Royal Ballet School (England), among others.
Through its programs and activities, YAGP serves as the "internet of the dance world," a global network of opportunity for young dancers. In 2005, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized YAGP's contribution to international dance education by awarding it with a membership in UNESCO's prestigious Conseil International de la Danse (CID).

In YAGP's 8 years of operation, YAGP has awarded over $1,000,000 in scholarships to the world's leading dance schools. Over 10,000 dancers have participated in YAGP's international workshops, competitions, and auditions. Over 100 YAGP alumni are now dancing with 50 companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, among others.

YAGP 2007 Season is sponsored by Bloch, Capezio, Grishko, Gaynor Minden, So'Dança, Discount Dance Supply, Dance Magazine, Pointe magazine, Dance Spirit magazine, Sylvia Co., Swarovski, and Tutu.com.

Created in 1995 under the artistic direction of Pedro Pablo Peña, International Ballet Festival of Miami has become one of the most important ballet festivals in the United States. Now in its 12th season, it has presented such important dance companies as the English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Miami Contemporary Dance Company and the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami among many others. The Festival has become a Fall staple on the South Florida dance calendar with five performances at four theaters in three cities. It also includes other arts-related activities such as Dance Films, official IBFM poster unveiling a fine arts competition inspired by dance, workshops, master classes and the Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the Grand Classical Gala of the Stars.

Prix de Lausanne was created in 1972 in Switzerland by Philippe and Elvire Braunschweig and is the original European ballet scholarship competition for dance students. Now in its 35th year, the competition has established itself as a traditional venue on the international classical dance scene. Open to dance students between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, Prix de Lausanne gives dancers opportunities to connect with international dance schools and be seen by artistic directors of companies like Béjart Ballet Lausanne, the American Ballet Theatre and the Ballets de Monte Carlo. Past winners include ABT's Alessandra Ferri, Julie Kent, and Ethan Stiefel, the Royal Ballet's Alina Cojocaru and Carlos Acosta, and current NYCB resident choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, among many others.

Larissa Saveliev, Artistic Director of YAGP, says, "We are thrilled to partner with two of the world's most renowned and respectable dance organizations to expand the opportunities we provide to young dancers from around the world – because YAGP is so much more than a competition; the competition is only a small part of our organization. YAGP, at its core, is an international festival of dance, a living and breathing organism, a global network that keeps working throughout the year, connecting dancers, students, festivals, companies, and schools worldwide."

YAGP 2007 Jury Panel will include, among others (full details at www.yagp.org):
Philip Broomhead, Ballet master of Houston Ballet
Eleanor D'Antuono, Artistic Director, New York International Ballet Competition
Franco de Vita, Director of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT
Eva Evdokimova, Prima Ballerina Assoluta, representing Princess Grace Academy of Classical Dance (Monaco)
Marianne Kruuse, Director of Hamburg Ballet School (Germany)
Gregor Hatala, Principal Dancer, Vienna State Opera Ballet; Aristic Coordinator, Spoleto Dance Festival (Italy)
Tadeusz Matacz, Director of the Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko School (Germany)
Arlene Minkhorst, Director of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (Canada)
Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston Ballet
Frederic Olivieri, Director, Ballet of La Scala (Milan, Italy)
Madeleine Onne, Artistic Director, Royal Swedish Ballet (Stockholm, Sweden)
Kirk Peterson, Artistic Director of ABT Studio Company
Elizabeth Platel, Director of Paris Opera Ballet School (France)
Marilyn Rowe, Director of Australian Ballet School (Australia)
Bo Spassoff , Director of the Rock Center for Dance Education
Gailene Stock, Director of the Royal Ballet School (U.K.)
Garry Trinder, Director of New Zealand School of Dance (New Zealand)
Septime Webre, Artistic Director, Washington Ballet
Diana White, Associate of The George Balanchine Trust