Two Japanese girls placed first in separate categories at the 2025 Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) international youth ballet competition finals in Tampa, Florida, it was announced Sunday.
Natsuki Sugimoto, 12, a first-year junior high school student from Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, tied for first place in the junior age division for girls who were between the ages of 12 and 14 as of Jan. 1.
Hana Terada, 11, a final-year elementary school student from Kawasaki, finished first in the classical dance category in the precompetitive age division for girls between the ages of 9 and 11.
"I want to become a dancer who stands in the center of the stage and makes the whole audience smile," said Sugimoto, who plans to attend a ballet school abroad.
Also at the competition, Leon Yusei Sai, 14, who lives in the United States, ranked second in the junior age division for boys. In the precompetitive age division for boys, Daigaku Katayama, 11, from Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, placed third in the classical dance category, and Yusei Yoshitake, 11, from Tokyo, placed second in the contemporary dance category.
YAGP offers scholarships to young talents from the competition to study at dance schools around the world.
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