Dancers at Alberta’s Edge School are heading to Tampa, Fla., later this month to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), a competition featuring dancers from around the world.
Edge School dancers earned a place in the finals after strong performances in the semi-finals in Kansas City, Mo., in February.
“The Youth America Grand Prix is the largest scholarship opportunity in the world for dance students,” said Caitlin Lockwood, principal of the ballet program at Edge School.
“Dancers compete in semifinal locations all over the world; Europe, Asia, Americas, including South America, and they have these competitions and then the dancers with the most potential from each competition are selected to compete at the finals.”
Lockwood says a trip to the finals is the invitation everyone wants, because directors of all major ballet institutions from around the world are there and will host sessions called scholarship classes to evaluate dancers and award placements and scholarships to their institutions.
“If you’re selected for a scholarship in London or Paris or New York or whatever, those opportunities are huge,” said Lockwood. “And it’s going to be a launching pad for their careers, and this is what they’re going for.”
Lockwood says all the dancers from Edge heading to the finals are exceptional, but there are a few standouts.
“Our soloist is Georgia Blackwell, and she is in the junior division, so she’ll perform a classical solo and a contemporary solo,” Lockwood said. “She will also perform a classical pas de deux with her partner Chase Montgomery, and she’ll perform in a contemporary trio and then a large group number.”
Blackwell, 15, has been dancing for 10 years, and says the event is an opportunity of a lifetime.
“It’s an amazing experience, like a lot of exposure, especially because I’m doing five numbers so they can see me a lot,” she said. “And see if I will fit their company or if I could be in their company.”
Blackwell is quick to credit Lockwood for successful results at the semi-finals and a trip to Tampa.
“She’s just an amazing teacher,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had someone so brilliant; she just finds the best way to coach you, and she knows you super well from the very beginning, you can grow so much from her.”
Montgomery, 16, started dancing when he was three, likely because his mom was a professional dancer. Now, he’s excited to see the opportunities ahead of him at the YAGP.
“There’s a lot of pressure because I’m going down with my pas de deux and I’m taking the men’s solo scholarship classes,” he said. “I’ve never taken class with just guys before, so it’ll be a good experience.”
Montgomery and the other students want to be professional dancers one day, and say this could be their big break on stage.
“My heart is definitely beating really fast (at the start of a number),” Montgomery said. “I’m really nervous, and but once I’m on there, the nerves go away.”
The team leaves for the weeklong event April 20, and after the stressful sessions, it finishes with an international gala, were participants get to meet YAGP alumni who now are principal dancers with companies all around the world.
“There’s prizes, small bits of cash, there’s metals,” said Lockwood. “But really the opportunity is the scholarships so that’s what they’re going for.”
