I wrote about my YAGP experience! Read below article. :)
My YAGP experience by Grace Victoria
At the beginning of the year, I participated in a ballet competition called the Youth America Grand Prix (or YAGP for short). I competed as a soloist and I also danced in a few ensembles pieces as well. I’m going to tell you a little bit about what it was like. This was my first year so I didn’t know what to expect. The whole thing, I think, is a great experience whether you place or not.
After arriving at the hotel, my family drove me and my sisters to the theater where we would be performing. When all of the dancers who were performing that day in my company arrived, we were taken to our dressing room. It was very small and we had to share it with a several other people. I felt kind of cramped. I put my costume and pointe shoes on and warmed up. I would perform my solo first and the ensembles the next day. I was soooo nervous. Especially for my solo. Thoughts of me falling or messing up on stage went through my head. I kept running the piece over and over again in my head and marking it, making sure (and hoping) I wouldn’t forget it on stage. Finally, it was time to wait backstage. My dance instructor wished me good luck and told me to remember to stand up tall and keep my heels forward (if you are a dancer, you probably understand how important this is). I nodded then slowly walked back towards the stage. I talked to some of the other girls back stage, who were as scared as I was. Watching the other girls who danced before me was a BIG mistake. It only made me more nervous because they were so good! I looked away and just thought of my dance and I kept telling myself: Don’t worry. You’re going to do GREAT! At last, my name was called and I turned around, said a quick prayer, and ran onto the stage. As I danced, I realized how fun it was to perform and be judged. All my life I had ALWAYS dreamed of competing on the stage and finally, I was there! Suddenly, I forgot how scared I was. I stood up taller and danced my heart out.
I don’t think my performance went that bad but I did kind of mess up the double pirouette and my technique could have been better but overall, the performance was ok. I felt relieved that my solo was over and that all that was left were the group pieces, which, by the way went extremely well other than the fact that we could barely hear the music.. Well anyway, I returned to my dressing room only to find my sisters and friends waiting for me. They showered me with hugs and told me that I did beautifully. I really didn’t think this was true, but told them thanks anyway. I watched my sister and my other friends dance their variations and they were wonderful. We returned to our hotel at the end of the day and ate dinner at the restaurant that was in it. I went to bed happy and excited.
The next day, we performed the ensemble pieces and as I mentioned before, they went fabulously. But the music was pretty quiet and I couldn’t hear the music so I got on the stage late. Oh well! The award ceremony was that night too. In each category the top 12 are announced 1st, 2nd and 3rd places and a Grand Prix award for the junior and senior categories. And the Pre-Competitive category has a Hope Award instead. In the ensemble category the awards are just 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Although, they might have awards for schools. There are also teacher and scholarships but I’m not too familiar with all of them. First, they announced the top 12 for the Pre-Competitive division. My little sister Theresa’s name was called. Everyone cheered loudly. I was so proud of her! Finally, it was time for them to announce the junior division top 12. I prayed and listened carefully. They called the names of a lot of the dancers from my school, which made all of us extremely excited. They announced the last person. It wasn’t me. I slouched in my seat and tears started to fill my eyes. I worked so hard! How could I not even get top 12!? Suddenly, I thought to myself, I tried my best, and that’s all I can do. There’s always next year. I’m only 12! I have a lot of time to improve and who knows? Maybe, just maybe, next year I might qualify for the finals in NYC! Even though I didn’t place or make top 12, I tried hard and did the best I could do and it was a great experience. Well, now I know what to expect! And that’s what it was like for me when I participated in the Youth America Grand Prix. Better luck next year!
Here is an essay that I wrote on ballet and the benefits of it. Read below. :)
Benefits of Ballet
Ballet can do so much for a person.
First, it helps you learn discipline. In ballet, you must listen to the instructor and pay attention so that you will get the combination and the corrections the instructor gives you. In between combinations, center or bar, you must stand quietly in the back until its time to do it. Also, you learn discipline from dancing the movement precisely. If a dancer does not have discipline, and does not listen and take the corrections he or she gets, it is more likely that that person won’t improve as much otherwise is possible.
Second, ballet is great for your health. When you get to the certain level in dance where you dance almost 24/7 (like me), then you really stay in shape! But even if you only dance once a week, if you do the steps correctly and try to work the right muscles, you get the same work out only a little less intense. Dance is also good from an eating perspective. Eating the right healthy foods when you’re taking ballet classes is a good way of keeping in good, physical shape. Healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and even granola bars every now and then are a smart way to keep healthy. Dairy products are good to eat as well. Some good drinks would be water (of course), Emergen-C (it is a drink that athletes use.), orange juice, etc. There are certainly many healthful benefits from dancing ballet.
Third, ballet exposes you to classical music and artistic dance form that you probably wouldn’t be experience elsewhere on a regular basis. When you rehearse The Nutcracker, for example, night after night you are hearing Tchaikovsky’s composition. You learn to distinguish between different musical instruments and see firsthand how music can depict deep feeling and emotion. Learning about classical music is valuable and will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Fourth, in ballet, you learn to have good posture and it gives you GREAT confidence. When I am out in public I find myself standing up like I would in class or on stage. Posture is very important when it comes to performances. It is very significant that you always stand up as tall as you can be. Also, the confidence ballet gives you can really improve you as a person. You learn to try new things and keep going if you don’t get the steps, and it’s not just in ballet. In your every-day life you can be more confident in a lot of things you do. Ballet really helps with posture and confidence.
Fifth, dancing ballet with others helps you learn great teamwork and how to work together as a group toward a common goal. Dancers must stay in their lines, and try to be in sync. Dancers cover for one another and often must learn multiple roles in case another dancer becomes injured or sick. It is an amazing feeling to take a bow together after a great performance. Dancing encourages teamwork. The ability to work with others can last a lifetime.
And last but not least, ballet is FUN!! You get to dance in pointe shoes and wear beautiful costumes, the roles can be very enjoyable and you meet new friends too! It’s really fun to not just act but live the part and be your own character! Although it can be difficult, ballet is very fun and rewarding.
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