The world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), brings its highly anticipated 2026 Season Finals to Houston, TX, for the first time, hosted by Houston Ballet. Two thousand dancers will be in Houston – hand selected from more than 15,000 students competing across the globe this season. Held at the Wortham Theater Center from May 10-18, the week-long program features master classes with acclaimed directors and leaders in the field; the world’s most promising young dancers competing in front of a world-renowned jury panel for the chance to receive scholarships and job offers to the world’s leading dance academies and companies; and a closing Gala performance featuring some of today’s biggest ballet stars.
YAGP Founder and Artistic Director Larissa Saveliev shares, “YAGP is thrilled to present its 2026 Season Finals in Houston for the very first time in our 27-year history, thanks to our longtime friends and partners at Houston Ballet. As the world’s largest dance gathering, the YAGP Finals represent our organizations’ shared commitment to fostering the next generation of dance artists through access to world-class scholarship and performance opportunities. We look forward to an inspiring week in Houston at the preeminent Wortham Theater Center, with master classes hosted at Houston Ballet’s state-of-the-art facilities at the Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance.”
More than 15,000 talented students, ages nine to 19, are auditioning around the world at YAGP Semi-Final locations, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and Thailand, as well as in 26 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, D.C., and Winston-Salem. From this global pool, 2,000 of the most promising young dancers will be invited to perform at the Finals in Houston for the opportunity to earn scholarships from the world’s most prestigious ballet schools and companies.
Throughout the YAGP Semi-Final auditions, more than 6,000 scholarship offers have already been presented to dance students worldwide – with thousands of offers still to come throughout the remainder of the North American tour and at the YAGP Season Finals in Houston. The Jury and Scholarship Presenters in Houston will represent the leading dance academies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre JKO School, Dutch National Ballet Academy, Houston Ballet Academy, John Cranko School of The Stuttgart Ballet, Princess Grace Academy, The Royal Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, and numerous other institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Hosts of the competition, Houston Ballet Artistic Directors Julie Kent and Stanton Welch AM, share, “We are honored to host the Youth America Grand Prix 2026 Finals and to support the next generation of young dancers. As a leading cultural and educational institution in Houston, we are proud and excited to welcome the international ballet community to our great city and to partner with YAGP in presenting a week of world-class performances, training, and opportunities that will inspire dancers and audiences alike.”
In addition to the competition, YAGP will also present its signature star-studded Gala at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York on April 16, followed by a performance in Houston on May 17, celebrating the conclusion of the YAGP 2026 Season. Both performances will feature leading guest artists from some of the world’s most celebrated companies – including American Ballet Theatre, Berlin State Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Houston Ballet, La Scala Ballet, New York City Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet – representing the stars of today alongside some of the brightest young talent from around the world, the stars of tomorrow.
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