Quick Q & A: Joseph Gorak.At the latest Youth American Grand Prix Grand Prix n. pl. Grand Prix Any of several competitive international road races for sports cars of specific engine size over an exacting, usually risky course. finals in April, Joseph Gorak, 16, won an Honorary Grand Prix. Like the regular Grand Prix, this award (created for the occasion) came with an offer of a contract to join American Ballet American Ballet was the first professional ballet company George Balanchine created in the United States. The company was founded with the help of Lincoln Kirstein, and was populated by students of Kirstein and Balanchine's School of American Ballet. Theater's Studio Company. Joseph currently studies at Orlando Ballet School and performs part-time with Orlando Ballet. He plans to move to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of in the fall to start his new job. How long have you been dancing? I started when I was about 5, with tap, jazz, and a little bit of ballet. And then when I was 7, it was just ballet, ballet, ballet. Is this a special prize, Honorary Grand Prix winner? How did it feel to win? This year Sergei Polunin [from the Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a specialist, co-educational school located in premises at White Lodge, Richmond Park, in the London Borough of Richmond; and an upper school at premises in Covent Garden. It combines a mainstream academic education with an intensive dance training. ] won the Grand Prix, and I won the Honorary Grand Prix because I competed as an ensemble. My award isn't officially the Grand Prix; it's kind of just an honor. It was a surprise award; I had no idea. How is performing in a competition different from performing in a ballet? You know you're being scored, but I can't think about that. When I'm onstage, I just focus on my dancing and what I love. Have you done any other competitions? I did YAGP YAGP Youth America Grand Prix (ballet competition) last year and I won the Gold Medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize , and at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition last summer I won the Silver Medal. How did your family support you? My family moved [from Dallas, TX] to Orlando just for me to train. They gave up everything, seriously everything, to support me. What was the hardest part of your coaching? Stamina. I get really tired and I just have to push through it. Did anything unusual happen during the competition? I was supposed to do my classical variation from La Fille Mal Gardee, and at the last minute we decided to change to my contemporary piece. We gave them the music, but they played La Fille, and that was totally wrong and I couldn't go on and do it. I was just about to call it quits and go home, and my teacher came back and said, "They're running you in Act Two; get ready again." That was the best part of it--warming up on stage during intermission with amazing dancers like Wendy Whelan Wendy Whelan (IPA: /ˈʍiːlən/) (born 1967) is a ballerina and principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. and Darcey Bussell Darcey Bussell CBE (born London; 27 April 1969) is a retired English ballerina. Biography She was a pupil at Fox Primary School. After studying at the Arts Educational School, Bussell began ballet seriously only at the age of 13 when she moved to White Lodge in the Royal . Do you have any advice for other dancers who want to compete? Don't go to win. Go for the experience. The whole competition thing--"me being better than you" and "she's better than him"--nobody's better than anyone, that's what I think. Everyone has something different to offer. |
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