More than 400 young ballet dancers from the Northeast have converged on Worcester, Massachusetts, to vie for scholarships at the Youth America Grand Prix auditions. This four-day event, hosted at a historic theater, spotlights aspiring ballet stars who may later join prestigious companies such as the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet. Karli Wilkinson, a 15-year-old participant from Dighton, Massachusetts, is one of them: "I love performing for people and becoming like a character when I dance."
The competition showcases dancers aged 9 to 19, each performing solos for several minutes. One mother, Ana Canelos from North Falmouth, lauded the dedication of the young dancers: "Dance is often thought of as a sport that maybe is light. But these kids work so, so hard." The Grand Prix serves as a platform to evaluate talent, where Canelos's daughters and other participants compete in a setting she described as "magnificent."
Organizers anticipate choosing approximately 1,200 dancers from 32 US and 14 global auditions to progress to the finals slated for April in Tampa, Florida. At these stages, thousands of scholarships will be awarded, offering study opportunities at distinguished dance schools. Over the past 25 years, Youth America Grand Prix has distributed $5 million in scholarships, with $450,000 dispensed annually. Racheal Nye, director at the Oklahoma City Ballet, recognized the auditions as "an incredible opportunity for these dancers to be seen." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
