Youth America Grand Prix To Host STARS OF TODAY MEET THE STARS OF TOMORROW Gala

Youth America Grand Prix will present its Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala on April 16 at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City. The event will be hosted by Misty Copeland, the recently retired American Ballet Theatre principal dancer.

The gala will honor LoveShackFancy founder and creative director Rebecca Hessel Cohen and choreographer, author, and former American Ballet Theatre dancer Melanie Hamrick. Marcella Guarino Hymowitz will serve as Creative Chair for the evening.

The program will feature performances by leading ballet artists from major international companies. Scheduled performers include Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III of American Ballet Theatre, Polina Semionova of Berlin State Ballet, Roman Mejia of New York City Ballet, Reece Clarke of The Royal Ballet, and Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko of La Scala Ballet.

The performance program will include the New York debut of Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko performing the pas de deux from Mauro Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio along with Grand Pas Classique. Polina Semionova will dance the Act I pas de deux from Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon and a collaboration combining The Dying Swan with contemporary dancer Braylon Browner. Reece Clarke, Christine Shevchenko, and Roman Mejia will perform the Act II pas de trois from Le Corsaire. Honoree Melanie Hamrick will also present her work She’s a Rainbow, set to music by The Rolling Stones and performed by Shevchenko and Royal.

The evening will also feature New York premieres by contemporary choreographers Sharon Eyal, Itzik Galili, and Marco Goecke. In addition, 100 Youth America Grand Prix competition finalists will perform together in a Piece d’Occasion in the tradition of the organization’s annual Grand Defilé showcasing young dancers from around the world.

A dinner on the promenade will follow the performance. Gala guests will also have the opportunity to bid on custom designer pointe shoes as part of the annual Pointe Project, with proceeds supporting scholarships for emerging dancers. Participating designers include LoveShackFancy, Monse, All III, Alice and Olivia, A-Morir, Lapointe, and Renna Brown.

Youth America Grand Prix will also present the YAGP International Dance School Festival on April 18 at the David H. Koch Theater. The event will feature performances by elite ballet students from leading international training programs including ABT Studio Company and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Houston Ballet II, the John Cranko School of the Stuttgart Ballet, La Scala Ballet Academy, Princess Grace Academy, The Rock School for Dance Education, The Royal Ballet School, and Zurich Dance Academy.

The organization’s 2026 Season Finals will take place in Houston from May 10 through May 18 at the Wortham Theater Center, hosted by Houston Ballet. Approximately 2,000 dancers selected from more than 15,000 global applicants will participate in the week-long program of performances, master classes, and auditions for scholarships and professional opportunities.

Founded in 1999, Youth America Grand Prix is an international dance education organization that provides scholarship auditions, training opportunities, and performance experiences for dancers ages 9 to 19. Over the past 26 years, the organization has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships to major dance academies and helped place hundreds of alumni with professional companies worldwide.