2 Japanese ballet dancers place 1st in youth competition
KYODO NEWS - 6 minutes ago - 10:15 | Arts, All
Two female Japanese ballet dancers placed first in their age groups at a major international youth competition in the United States, the organizer said Sunday.
Natsuki Sugimoto, 12, from the central Japan city of Yokkaichi, won the junior age division for girls aged 12 to 14 at the Youth America Grand Prix.
In the "pre-competition" age division for girls between 9 and 11, Hana Terada, 11, from Kawasaki, near Tokyo, ranked first in the classical dance category at the event known as the world's largest student ballet scholarship competition.
For the pre-competitive age division, a distinction is made between classical and contemporary categories.
The Youth America Grand Prix was established in 1999 by former members of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet, providing scholarships to young talent with diverse backgrounds to study at top ballet schools around the world.
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