Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and board member Marcella Hymowitz brought friends to a private tour of Ballerina: Fashion’s Modern Mus, the new exhibition at The Museum at FIT.
FIT Museum Deputy Director Patricia Mears explained, “Today we take for granted that ballerinas have a major impact on modern fashion. However this is a relatively recent phenomenon. For most of ballets long history, professional female dancers may have been lauded for their beauty and their skills but, with very few exceptions, were not viewed as proper ladies in society. Beginning with the Ballet Russe in Paris in1910 and with the rise of great US and UK ballet companies in the 1930’s, this all charged and with a profound impact on fashion”. More than 25 donors to YAGP listened in rapt attention as they were led though 80 objects, including high fashion, ranging from Parisian couture, British custom-made clothing, and American ready-to-wear, as well as costumes and rehearsal clothing all illustrating the rich yet often overlooked connection between classical ballet and fashion.
Following the tour, Net-A-Porter were hosts to an intimate luncheon at The Wilson. Guests included Simon Doonan, Grace Fuller, Judith Hoffman, Susan Gutfreund, Pat Kerr Tigrett, Laura Lobdell, Candice Lupton, Colby Mulgrabi, Daisy Prince, Rene Rothschild, Lesley Thompson, and YAGP Founder (and former Bolshoi dancer) Larissa Saveli.
Youth America Grand Prix is the world’s largest ballet scholarship competition. Over the past 21 years, more than $4 million has been awarded in scholarships to leading dance institutions to over 100,000 young dancers. More than 450 YAGP alumni are now dancing with 80 professional companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet and many others.
The annual YAGP gala, Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow returns to the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on April 16th, 2020. This year’s all-star cast includes Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes, Daniil Simkin and Anna Ol of Dutch National Ballet. The performances will include World Premiere choreography by YAGP Alumna Lauren Lovett (NYCB), and a performance by Mariinsky Ballet’s rising star Maria Khoreva and YAGP alum Victor Caixeta.
Pictured:
Grace Fuller, Marcela Hymowitz
Susan Gutfreund