Rock School students shine at 2010 Competitions

Youth America Grand Prix Semi Finals
January 9-10, 2010
Philadelphia, PA

The Rock School competed at the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix Semi-Finals. This competition encompasses the region from Maryland to New York. In its 11th year, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition with thousands of students competing. The annual competition is held around the world and is open to dance students 9-19 years old. YAGP's level of reputation as a showcase for dance students from America and abroad is such that even passing the preliminary round gives a participant an important distinction as well as boosts their professional dance career.

This year, The Rock School had 35 students competing in various categories. Here are the highlights:

* For an unprecedented 5th consecutive year, The Rock School for Dance Education was named "Outstanding School."
* Both the Junior and Senior Grand Prix awards were won by Rock School students Rachel Richardson and Gabe Shayer, respectively.
* The Rock School won 1st and 2nd places in Pas de Deux category.
* The Rock School swept all the Men's categories and had eight of the Top 12 Junior dancers.
* The Rock School students also placed in the Top Three in both the Junior and Senior Contemporary Dance categories.
* The full list of winners can be found at this website: http://www.yagp.org/eng/philadelphia_winners_2010.php

Youth America Grand Prix Finals
March 21-26, 2010
New York, New York

Twenty-four Rock dancers qualified and competed in the Youth America Grand Prix international finals. Here are the highlights:

*Zhao Wan Ting and Joan Sebastian Zamora were awarded individual Silver Medals in the Senior Division.
*Derek Dunn was awarded the Gold Medal in the Junior Division.

USA International Ballet Competition
June 12-27, 2010
Jackson, Mississippi 

One of the world’s most prestigious dance events, the USA International Ballet Competition is a two-week “olympic-style” competition where tomorrow’s ballet stars vie for gold, silver, and bronze medals; cash awards and scholarships. USA IBC is held every four years and only accepts 100 dancers worldwide; 13 of these hail from The Rock School.

More details to come.