Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dance Lisa Startsman, B.A., received one of three highly coveted Outstanding Teacher Awards at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) semifinals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in January 2017. YAGP is considered by many to be the “Olympics” of the pre-professional ballet world; young artists who compete and win in this prestigious series of classes and performances often gain premier positions with ballet and contemporary companies around the world. The association takes great pride in acknowledging the exemplary teaching and dedication that is critical to training these outstanding young talents.
In the Junior Division, one of Startsman’s students received the first-place award for the Classical Dance category, another placed in the top 12 and two more appeared in the top 24. In the Contemporary Dance category, her students won second and third place, with two more placing in the top 12. One of these students placed with a solo choreographed by Assistant Professor of Dance Tiffanie Carson, M.F.A. Progressing to the next round is very elite; only the student who received first place in the Classical Dance category will move on to the finals in New York City, where the student will compete against other dancers from around the world. Visit yagp.org for more information.
