Castle Pines dancers headed to the Big Apple
Castle Pines resident Olivia Hamilton took an impressive second place in classical and third place in contemporary dance in the pre-competitive division this February.
Alexandra Gray will be off to the Big Apple this month to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix 2013 Finals in New York.
By Kathy Dunker; photos courtesy of the Gray Family
Castle Pines residents Alexandra Gray and Olivia Hamilton, both from Denver Ballet Theatre Company, have been invited to New York City (NYC) to attend and compete in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) 2013 Finals. Both girls competed in YAGP’s regional semi-finals that took place during the February 15 weekend in Denver.
Coached by Slava Mesropov, Gray placed in the top twelve of the pre-competitive division and Hamilton, coached by David Taylor, placed in the top twelve of the junior competitive division, taking second place for classical and third place for contemporary dance.
With qualifying scores, both girls received invitations to attend the NYC Finals, April 12 through 19. While in NYC, they will be competing within their categories, attending dancer workshops, and performing at Lincoln Center alongside professionals from numerous dance companies around the world.
Each year, more than 5,000 students audition worldwide by video preliminary throughout the U.S. and internationally. Semi-finals conducted by YAGP are held in the U.S. as well as Japan, Mexico, France, and Brazil. Three hundred and fifty of the most promising soloists, representing 30 countries, are chosen for the New York City finals – which is quite an honor.
Gray commented, “It has been a wonderful experience and a great chance to get exposure to the ballet world. I look forward to meeting many amazing dancers in New York City and beginning to carry out my dreams!”
For additional information about YAGP, visit www.yagp.org.
