School of Dance and KNIGA Students Surge at 2025 YAGP

At the final of the 2025 Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in Tampa, United States, held from April 21 to 27, current students of the School of Dance raised K-Arts’s prestige by garnering various prizes across multiple categories, including the Grand Prix, the competition’s highest honor.

YAGP, known as the Olympics for young dancers, is the world’s largest ballet competition and has taken place annually in New York since its establishment in 2000. The competition is open to candidates aged between 9 and 19. This year, among over 12,000 candidates, about 2,000 from 41 countries advanced through the preliminary stage. The final was held at David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa.

Jeon Minchul (age 20), a senior student at K-Arts, was basked in the glory of winning the Grand Prix among all dancers, regardless of age or dance category. He is the fifth Grand Prix winner from Korea, following Seo Hee, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 2003, Kim Kimin, principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet in 2012; Jun Joonhyuk, the first Korean male soloist of the Royal Ballet in 2016; and Park Geonhee of the School of Dance, K-Arts, in 2024.

In addition, Sung Jaeseung (age 19) and So Haeun (age 19) placed first in the classical pas de deux of the senior age division. Sung also took second place in the senior male solo category.

In the junior age division for men, Pak Kunbyulbit (age 14, Solmoe Middle School) placed first. Cho Hyunjun (age 13, KNIGA, Haanbuk Middle School) and Park Huihun (age 12, KNIGA, Inwang Middle School) made it to the Top 12 in the same division, for men and women, respectively. Also, Lee Yewon (KNIGA, Yonsin Middle School) was a finalist, further raising the status of Korean ballet alongside the aforementioned competition winners.

Thirty ballet experts served as jury members, including Stella Abrera (artistic director of American Ballet Theater JKO School), Ian Mackay (artistic director of the Royal Ballet School), Luca Masala (artistic director of Monaco Princess Grace Academy), Tadeusz Matacz (artistic director of the John Cranko School), and Sascha Radetsky (artistic director of the ABT Studio Company).