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“Hello New York City! Hello ballet fans!
I was called the Barysnikov of Bravo
tonight, I'm going to keep that! I'm
changing my Instagram bio immediately”,
said Television personality and producer
Andy Cohen as he welcomed the Alice
Tully Hall Lincoln Center audience to
the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP)
Stars of TodayMeet the Stars of Tomorrow
Gala. “How appropriate we are here on
International Dance Day!”
His co-host for the evening, former
American Ballet Theatre dancer and YAGP
alumna Melanie Hamrick, replied “What
better way to celebrate than with the
amazing dancers you'll see here tonight,
and by supporting the world’s largest
ballet scholarship foundation! This is a
full circlemoment for me. As a young
student, I was in the first YAGP Gala 26
years ago, and now, here I am on stage
again.”
Andy shared “YAGP is a remarkable
organization, and it's in its 26th year,
led by their amazing founders Larissa
and Gennadi Saveliev. This season, YAGP
saw 15,000 young dancers from over 80
countries audition, with 2,000 of them
competing at the YAGP's Finals in Tampa
last week. These are truly the stars of
tomorrow, living their dream. Tonight
you'll see some of those young dancers,
as well as current ballet stars, from
the best companies in the world, who
excelled and got their start with YAGP.”
A Gala dinner followed the performance,
sponsored by Oscar de la Renta and
Bucherer Fine Jewellery, chaired by
Marcella Guarino Hymowitz and Maria
Cristina Anzola (with her granddaughter,
both in marabou feather boas), with a
committee that included Julia
Arnhold,Paul Arnhold and Wes Gordon,
Janna Bullock, Chelsea Clinton (who came
with her two children), Rebecca Hessel
Cohen, Courtney Davis, Aly Gradone,
Melanie Hamrick, Lilli Hymowitz, Lindsay
Kraus, Kamie Lightburn, Colby Mugrabi,
Grace Pomeranc, Lilah Ramzi, Emily
Reifel, Priya Shukla, Daniela W. Tisch,
Barbara Tober, Virginia Tomenson, Lesley
Thompson Vecsler, and Lina Wallach.
“Larissa Saveliev, you are a force in
the ballet world,” said Marcella. “You
bring together all this ballet talent
for such a special evening, but beyond
that, you give dancers a platform and
you create opportunities!” She
continued, “Maria Cristina Anzola and I
want to take a moment to thank our
honoree of this evening, Sarah Hoover.
Sarah is devoted to ballet and the arts.
She co-founded ABT’s Accelerator
Committee and fundraises for multiple
dance organizations including Twyla
Tharp's Diamond Jubilee tour, and is a
patron of New York City Ballet. Sarah
isalso an author; her debut memoir, The
Motherload, was published by Simon and
Schuster this past January, and was an
immediate bestseller. She is currently
in the middle of her international book
tour but took time away to be here
tonight to celebrate many of her dancer
friends
and organizations she holds dear to her.
Sarah, I am proud to call you a friend.”
“This is an incredible honor by such a
meaningful organization to the world of
dance”, said Sarah. “I want to explain
how deep my love of dance is. As a young
girl growing up in Indiana, I did not
have a ton of access to culture. But I
did have incredible dance training and I
went to summer programs at ABT and
elsewhere. I remember the impact of
watching Glass Pieces, a Jerome Robbins
ballet with music by Philip Glass. It
was totally different than anything I'd
ever seen. It changed the trajectory of
my life; where I would live and what I
would be dedicated to doing. I see
dancers and ballet as showing us a more
empathetic and expansive way forward in
the world, and for that they are my
idols forever.”
Decorating the room were custom ballet
slippers as part of YAGP’s Pointe
Project, designed by Carolina Herrera,
Michael Kors, A-Morir Studio, Attersee,
Theory, DELPHINE, Fer Da Silva, Hill
House Home, LoveShack Fancy!, Alexandre
Birman, Alice
and Olivia, Galvan London, Helmut Lang, Herve Leger, Libby Klein, Silvia
Tcherassi, and TWP Clothing.
Many of the designers were in
attendance. The pointe shoes are up for
auction until May 1st at 12pm, with 100%
of proceeds supporting YAGP’s ongoing
scholarship efforts. To bid, visit
www.GiveButter.com/YAGP2025
YAGP Founder and Artistic Director,
Larissa Saveliev, created a program that
featured a U.S. Premiere from Lucia
Lacarra and Matthew Golding (YAGP
alumnus), choreographed by Edwaard
Liaang and Golding; Paris Opera Ballet’s
Germain Louvet and Hannah O’Neill(YAGP
alumna) performed Le Parc by Angelin
Prejlocaj; O’Neill and Friedemann Vogel
(TheStuttgart Ballet) danced a pas de
deux from Act III of Onegin by John
Cranko. Louvet also presented a
variation from Rudolf Nureyev’s Swan
Lake. The Stuttgart Ballet’s newest
soloist,Yana Peneva (YAGP alumna), made
her NY debut performing the pas de deux
from Act II of Le Corsaire with Daniil
Simkin. ABT Studio Company’s Kayla Mak
and Max Barker (both YAGP alumni) danced
George Balanchine’s Tarantella. Ballet
Dortmund’s Artistic Director, Xin Peng
Wang (in his final season), presented a
World Premiere pièce d’occasion,
performed by dancers Samuel Bassler and
Daria Suzi, making their New York
debuts.
The evening also featured a World
Premiere choreographed and performed by
Isaiah Day (Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater), with an original composition
and live musical performance by
Emmy-nominated pianist and composer,
Matthew Whitaker. Day was recognized as
one of two YAGP 2025 Emerging
Choreographers, along with Chicago-based
Hanna Brictson, whose piece Q had its
World Premiere at the YAGP 2025 Gala.
The YAGP International Contemporary
Ensemble (ICE), featuring 25 young
dancers selected from global YAGP
auditions, presented the U.S. Premiere
of an excerpt from PUPO by acclaimed
Italian choreographer Sofia Nappi.
A highlight of the program included the
winners of the YAGP 2025 international
ballet competition, sharing the stage
with their ballet idols in a grand
performance to bring the season to a
close.
Guests – including YAGP Board Members
Chair Richard Osterweil, Carrie Kaufman,
Josephine Lee, Kamie Lightburn, Lina
Wallach, Yael Weiss, as well as Amy
Astley, Harrison Ball and Zac Posen,
Ashley Bouder, Candace Bushnell, Lucas
Jagger, Andrew Martin-Webber, Judith
Pisar, Leah Pisar, Jenni Pulos – posed
with a giant ballet pointe shoe,
decorated with disco balls of all sizes
and spring flowers, and danced the night
away. |