Students of Edmonds-based Olympic Ballet School, the official school of Olympic Ballet Theatre, received multiple top placements in solo and ensemble performance categories at the recent Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Seattle regional competition held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. In addition, the school earned an outstanding school award.

Dancers as young as 9 can participate in YAGP, an international ballet competition that provides scholarships and potential placement at top ballet schools in the world. Those competing in the classical ballet division select variations from a list of the classical repertoire of famous ballets such as Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and others. For the contemporary dance division, students perform original works often choreographed specifically for them by their teachers. Groups of two or more students can also compete in small and large ensemble divisions.

Classical Dance Category/Senior Division
2nd Place (tie) – Shoshana Scott (16)
Top 12: Anna Foy (17), Kaeli Pierce (16), Shoshana Scott (16)
Classical Dance Category/Junior Division
3rd Place – Isabella Carbajal (13)
Top 12 – Isabella Carbajal (13), Matilda Hartung (13), Vivien Claire Palmer (12), Yuna Park (14)
Classical Dance Category/Junior Division (Men)
1st Place – Yevgeni Gorboulev (14)
Contemporary Dance Category/Junior Division
Top 12: Vivien Claire Palmer, Yevgeni Gorboulev (14)
Classical Dance Category/Pre-competitive Division
2nd Place and Top 12 – Hikari Ulyana Gorbouleva (10)
Contemporary Dance Category/Pre-competitive Division
2nd Place and Top 6 – Hikari Ulyana Gorbouleva (10)

Large Ensembles
1st Place Tie: Olympic Ballet School’s Garland Waltz, Olympic Ballet School’s Brides and Olympic Ballet School’s Nyman

Small Ensembles
2nd Place – Kaeli Pierce (16) and Yevgeni Gorboulev (14) in the Pas de deux from Grand Pas Classique

The following Olympic Ballet School students received invitations to compete in YAGP finals, to be held in Tampa, Florida, April 3-9: Hikari Ulyana Gorbouleva (age 10), Isabelle Carbajal (13), Yevgeni Gorboulev (14), Kaeli Pierce (16), Anna Foy (17), along with all three ensemble pieces that Olympic Ballet School entered.

Co-directed by husband-and-wife team Oleg Gorboulev and Mara Vinson, the school provides students with classical ballet training based predominantly on the Vaganova methodology. “Our aim is to prepare our graduates with a solid education so that they have choices if they decide to pursue a professional career in dance, whether as a performing artist, instructor, or in another avenue of the field,” Vinson said.

The school offers various summer intensives for young dancers interested in training with Olympic Ballet School’s faculty and improving their technique. Auditions are scheduled on Saturday, March 4, from 9:30 – 11 a.m., at the Olympic Ballet School studio, 700 Main St., Edmonds. The audition fee is $25, and preregistration is required. To register, email dance@olympicballet.com.

More information about OBS summer programs can be found here.