Larissa Saveliev

Larissa Saveliev founded Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) with her

husband Gennadi Saveliev in 1999. She received her dance training at

the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. As a member of the

Bolshoi Ballet, she has toured throughout Europe and Asia, and her

repertoire included most of the ballets from the classical repertoire

and works by Yuri Grigorovich, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, and

Agnes de Mille. In 1995, Ms. Saveliev moved to the United States and

continued her dance career as both a dancer and an educator. In 1999,

she was chosen to choreograph at the prestigious Princess Grace

Awards.

In starting YAGP, Ms. Saveliev aimed to create a ballet competition

centered on career development rather than trophies or flashy

costumes. The primary goal of the competition is the learning process

and a young dancer’s journey to the stage. Under Ms. Saveliev’s

artistic direction, YAGP has become the largest international student

ballet competition. In 13 years, YAGP has awarded over $2 million in

scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide. YAGP boasts over

35,000 alumni, and over 300 of them now dance with more than 50

companies across the world.