Sarasota Cuban Ballet School Wins Top Honors at Tulsa Dance Competition

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School took the Outstanding School award, six medals, and 8 honorable mentions at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Regionals held between March 8th and 10th in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

A group of 10 local dancers led by Sarasota Cuban Ballet School (SCBS) Co-Founder and CoArtistic Director Ariel Serrano brought home two gold, one silver, two bronze medals, 6 Top 12 mentions, and 2 Top 24 mentions after dazzling the judges with their classical repertoire and contemporary performances. SCBS dancers also won a silver medal for their cotemporary ensemble piece called Cuba, an original work created by the school’s resident choreographer, Tania Vergara. “This has been our best performance yet at a dance competition. We are very proud of our students because all of them showed mastery of ballet technique, sheer artistry and the maturity to express themselves as a collective,” said Mr. Serrano.

The Youth America Grand Prix is the largest global network of dance. Every year the organization hosts master classes, auditions, and competitions around the World to support and develop young dancers ages 9 to 19. All 10 SCBS dancers were invited to participate at the 20th YAGP Finals to be held in New York from April 11th to April 20th. Some 1,200 young dancers are expected to compete for more than $250,000 in scholarships and the attention of recruiters looking for the next stars of the ballet world.

“The first time SCBS participated at YAGP, in 2013, we won the Outstanding School Award and my son Francisco (Serrano) received a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School.  This year we have the School award in the bag, so all we need now is for our dancers to get noticed by a major ballet company,” said Mr. Serrano. To prepare for the finals, the group has rejoined their classmates at SCBS studio located in 501 North Beneva Rd. There, they’ll be practicing their repertoire 4 hours a day, six days a week until it’s time to go back on the road. 

The school is always looking for donations to continue their Student Scholarship Program, Dancer Shoe Fund, and Title I School Outreach Program. Visit its website: http://srqcubanballet.com/support to learn more.