Tips for Competing in the YAGP

The Youth America Grand Prix is the world’s largest ballet competition. It conducts competitions each year in15 cities in the United States and in Belgium, France, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Japan. Over 50,000 aspiring dancers have competed in the YAGP over the years. There are thousands of talented young dancers who compete each year. Therefore, it is very competitive. I have competed in the YAGP three times, so, I thought it would be helpful for me to share some tips that will make the competition go smoother.

Tip 1: Do a dress rehearsal at your studio wearing exactly what you are going to wear on stage before competing. Professional tutus are often very heavy compared to your normal leotard. Therefore, you want to be sure that you are comfortable doing all of the steps in your dance with the tutu on. I personally practiced my variation with my tutu on multiple times before competing. Also, be sure to wear your headpiece for this dress rehearsal. You do not want your crown falling off on stage when you are doing pirouettes. A dress rehearsal will help you to figure out exactly how many pins to use for the headpiece on the day of the competition.

Tip 2: Do not get distracted by other dancers. Before competing at the YAGP, there is always a warm-up room where you can practice your dance. In the room, there will be at least twenty to thirty other dancers practicing their dances. Do not get caught up in watching them do their variations or trying to see if they are competition for you. The time in this studio is to warm your muscles up before you go on stage and to get mentally prepared. You do not want to start to worry about other dancers before you get on stage.

Tip 3: Right before doing your variation, go over the most difficult parts of it. Practice nailing that triple pirouette or hops on pointe. Doing these steps one last time before stepping on stage will definitely make you feel more comfortable during the performance.

Tip 4: Have lots of snacks with you during the day of the competition. Sometimes you don’t compete for hours. You do not want to have to dance feeling hungry. This makes some people feel even more nervous.

Tip 5: Accept that you did your best. Dancers are always so critical on themselves. If you go on stage and perform to your best ability, that’s all you can do. After performing don’t dwell on any minor errors or compare yourself to other dancers.

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