New York City is nothing if not a stage—and on International Dance Day, no one could deny that the city pirouetted on the axis of grandeur, sequins, and standing ovations. At Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) unfurled its satin ribbons for its Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala, a glittering homage to tutus, talent, and transformative artistry.
Enter: Bravo ringmaster and self-declared “Baryshnikov of Bravo,” Andy Cohen, whose sparkly sarcasm lit up the room faster than a fouetté. “Hello New York City! Hello ballet fans!” he roared, clearly reveling in the moment. “I’m changing my Instagram bio immediately,” he quipped, fresh off his own (imaginary) opening night. His counterpart, the effortlessly elegant Melanie Hamrick—former American Ballet Theatre dancer and radiant YAGP alum—offered a full-circle moment that practically begged for a standing ovation: “As a young student, I was in the very first YAGP Gala 26 years ago,” she mused. “And now here I am on stage again.”
Cue the orchestra swell.
Founded by Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, the ever-resilient power couple of pirouettes, YAGP has now clocked in 26 years of catapulting wide-eyed teens into world-class companies. This season alone, a staggering 15,000 dancers from over 80 countries auditioned. The crème de la crème—2,000 of them—whirled their way to the Finals in Tampa. As Andy Cohen aptly noted, “These are truly the stars of tomorrow, living their dream.” Darling, if Balanchine were alive, he’d be clapping from the balcony.
Following the onstage fireworks came the requisite feast—Oscar de la Renta gowns floating across the dining hall like chiffon clouds and Bucherer Fine Jewellery gleaming in candlelight. The dinner was chaired by the indomitable Marcella Guarino Hymowitz and the ever-so-chic Maria Cristina Anzola, who brought her granddaughter in matching marabou feather boas (a look one could only describe as Swan Lake meets Carrie Bradshaw in Paris).
As Marcella toasted from the podium, her voice rose above the clink of crystal glasses: “Larissa Saveliev, you are a force in the ballet world. You create opportunity.” She turned to the evening’s honoree, the stylishly erudite Sarah Hoover, and declared, “You give ballet heart.” Sarah, an arts advocate, ABT angel, and recently published bestselling author (The Motherload, Simon & Schuster), had momentarily paused her international book tour to be here—and thank God she did. “I grew up in Indiana,” she said. “I didn’t have a ton of access to culture. But I had dance. And I had YAGP.”
Somewhere between the entrée and the second pirouette, one could admire the room’s dazzling centerpiece: custom pointe shoes designed by fashion’s finest—Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, LoveShack Fancy!, Alexandre Birman, Galvan London, and more. This was Project Runway meets Sleeping Beauty—and it was divine. The shoes, auctioned off for YAGP scholarships, sparkled under the chandeliers with the determination of a dancer’s final bow.
The performances themselves were a passport of global talent: Paris Opera Ballet’s Germain Louvet and Hannah O’Neill (a YAGP alumna) bewitched the crowd in Le Parc by Angelin Prejlocaj. ABT Studio Company’s Kayla Mak and Max Barker channeled Balanchine’s electrifying Tarantella. And let’s not forget the NY debut of Stuttgart Ballet’s Yana Peneva (also a YAGP alumna), twirling through Le Corsaire like she owned the moonlight.
Then came Isaiah Day, Emerging Choreographer and Alvin Ailey firestarter, whose self-choreographed World Premiere set to a live original score by Emmy-nominated pianist Matthew Whitaker brought the house to its feet. It was soul. It was sweat. It was synaptic electricity masquerading as dance.
Beyond the performances, the entire evening read like a scroll of social prestige and ballet devotion. Chelsea Clinton arrived with her children in tow (ballet slippers, presumably), Candace Bushnell sparkled like a Champagne flute, and Zac Posen floated in like a perfectly tailored pas de chat. Guests clinked glasses, snapped selfies beside a disco-ball-draped pointe shoe, and danced with the kind of joy that only classical music and good champagne can inspire.
YAGP’s mission is simple yet profound: democratize access to ballet, transform dreams into reality, and make the world just a bit more graceful, one arabesque at a time. With over $5 million in scholarships awarded to date, and 500 alumni now dancing across 100 companies worldwide—including NYCB, ABT, the Royal Ballet, and Paris Opera—YAGP doesn’t just train dancers. It builds legacies.
So what’s next for this luminous institution? More pointe shoes. More passports. More pirouettes. And if we’re lucky, more evenings like this—where velvet seats and vodka martinis converge to remind us that dance is not just performance. It’s preservation. It’s promise. It’s power.
And as the glitter settled over Lincoln Center, we were reminded that the future of ballet has never looked so bright—or so bedazzled.
