Students of the Hungarian Dance University (HDU) achieved outstanding results at the Paris semi-final of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) held at the end of October. They competed against exceptionally strong rivals, winning two first-place awards and one second-place award. Their achievements also earned them promising career opportunities.
Photos by Adrienne Horvath
The Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest international ballet and contemporary dance competition for young dancers, offering participants the opportunity to win scholarships and gain admission to some of the world’s leading ballet schools. Three young ballet dancers from the Hungarian Dance University, students of Masters Angela Kövessy and József Medvecz, took part in the competition, and all three returned home with medals.
Márton Balog, a student of József Medvecz, took first place in both the pas de deux and senior male solo categories. Sora Sudo, a Japanese graduating student of the university and a student of Angela Kövessy, won the pas de deux category, while her fellow graduating student, Karen Satomura, also a student of Angela Kövessy, achieved second place in the senior solo category.
It is particularly encouraging that both Sora and Karen received multiple scholarship offers from prestigious ballet schools. In addition, Karen Satomura will have the opportunity to showcase her talent at the YAGP Job Fair, an initiative that has been helping outstanding dancers secure positions with leading dance companies for decades.
In addition to scholarships from the Royal Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet and the Antwerp ballet school, Balog Márton has also received a scholarship offer from the prestigious John Cranko School in Stuttgart. Marci has also been offered contracts by American Ballet Theatre and Sacramento Ballet, while the Berlin-based company has expressed interest in him as well.
The HDU delegation finished the competition with outstanding results and exciting new opportunities, making this a remarkable achievement for the Hungarian Dance University. Congratulations to all three dancers and their masters!
