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Journey to YAGP - PART ONE - courtesy of Nia Parker
Hello Everyone!
Hello Everyone!
We are asking your help to send our dancers to the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Chicago Regional competition in February 2022!
Youth America Grand Prix is an international ballet competition that has provided scholarships for young dancers for over 20 years. This year, the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center has five students competing in the Chicago regional competition: Lukas, Lauren, Imani, Maya, and Erin (pictured in order, below)! Each dancer is competing anywhere from 1-2 classical solos and 1-2 contemporary solos, along with one group piece. On the day of the competition, they will perform each of their pieces in front of a prestigious panel of judges. Preparing these pieces has been a long journey and we have seen these dancers dedicate their time, energy, and passion into an art form that they truly are passionate about. While we are already proud of everything these young artists have accomplished, being awarded a scholarship from this competition can be life-changing for their future careers!
The dancers are very excited to be able to perform on stage in just a few short months, but we need your help! We are looking to fundraise $10,000 to offset the costs of the competition including registration fees, solo fees, and costume rentals. We have increased our goal due to the amazing amount of support we have received so far! With the extra funds, we are looking to buy pointe shoes and other dance supplies, help offset private lesson and rehearsal costs, and as a stretch-goal, hold some funds to pay for competition season 2023's registration fees!
If you are able, a donation in any amount would be greatly appreciated! To give you an idea of our costs, here is a detailed list:
A $65 donation covers... an ensemble entry fee for one dancer!
A $105 donation covers... registration for one dancer!
A $110 donation covers... the fee to compete one piece (classical or contemporary)!
A $75 - $150 donation covers... one costume rental!
Your support, whether monetary, sharing our story, or rooting the dancers on in February is absolutely invaluable. As a thank you, we invite you all to join us on Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 6:30 pm CT for a live stream of one of our rehearsals. You can join us virtually by following @cmdc_school on Instagram and watching us stream live! Please feel free to invite family and friends.
Our ladies, Lauren, Imani, Maya, and Erin!
CMDC's Mission Statement
The mission of the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center (CMDC) is to offer the highest quality dance instruction in an environment that celebrates the diversity of its students and the community. Homer Bryant has been changing lives through dance for 25 years, providing a safe and welcoming environment for students of all abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue serious dance training.
The process is the prize! Preparing for a competition of this caliber is a journey and a reward within itself. These young dancers have put in many hours of hard work to prepare for YAGP, and as one of their coaches, I couldn't be more proud. Please wish us luck in February... I cannot wait to see these young dancers SHINE!
Thank you all for supporting our dancers!
Ms. Lauren
You can read more about the Youth American Grand Prix competition by heading to their website:
To learn more about the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center and the mission and work of Mr. Homer Bryant, the artistic director, please visit:
Journey to YAGP video - Part 2 - courtesy of Nia Parker