How to Make It to YoungArts Week—and Get the Most Out of It

YoungArts isn’t just a prestigious stage for the next generation’s most talented young artists. The organization also provides awardees, ages 15 to 18, a week of master classes, mentoring, and community building to support their budding careers. And according to past winners with distinction, those five days in Miami, where performing, visual, and literary artists from across the nation convene for National YoungArts Week, can seriously reaffirm their sense of artistry. “That was the first time that I’ve been validated and called an artist,” says Asmund Erickson, who is a 2024 winner in tap dance. “I felt like, ‘Yeah, I am an artist.’ ”

The positives and perks don’t end there. Winners receive a medallion, support throughout their careers, and exclusive access to YoungArts Post, what you might call a social platform for YoungArts winners. And as a Winner with Distinction, a special designation that makes you eligible for up to $10,000 in awards, you can also potentially be named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, which is one of the highest honors for high school students. It all sounds pretty dreamy, right?

But with so many applicants vying for so few spots in the competition, how do you differentiate yourself in the application process, specifically in the dance category—and what should you do to get the most out of YoungArts Week? 

Dance Spirit spoke with Erickson and other past winners to round up some tips and tricks for finding success in the competition.

Sign Up for an Info Session
When Erickson was in the process of applying, he made sure to attend an online information session—and, he says, it proved helpful. The session gives you an opportunity to speak with former winners about their experiences and ask them questions. But the key here is to sign up for a session that includes a member of the judging panel. 

“For my application year—and they may change this for the coming years—there is a panel of a few people who watch the finalist videos and choose who stands out to them,” Erickson says. “And those are the applicants who get to come to YoungArts Week.” According to Erickson, that single panel reviews finalist applications across all disciplines of dance, so understanding what a panelist is looking for, which might not be specific to one dance form, can be valuable.

Be Your Authentic Self in Your Audition Video

For the YoungArts audition process, you are adjudicated almost entirely on your audition video, Erickson says. The requirements may vary slightly based on the discipline, but, generally, you are asked to submit a solo demonstrating your technique and a second solo showing your artistry. With that sort of pressure on a single component of your application, it can be tempting to foreground your most impressive tricks or to mirror trends on social media or at dance competitions that garner praise. But Vyoma Bhanap, a kathak dancer, encourages applicants to present themselves in the audition video as genuinely as possible—both as artists and as people. Before filming her audition video, Bhanap remembers thinking, “I would rather apply as who I feel I am as an artist and a dancer instead of what I think YoungArts wants from me.” That perspective translated, and, in 2023, Bhanap was selected as a winner in classical Indian dance. “It is a credit to the YoungArts Foundation,” she says. “They do not want something that does not represent who they truly are trying to uplift.”

You should bring that sense of authenticity to what you wear in your audition video, too. Sam Fine, a 2023 winner in contemporary dance, initially sported a black T-shirt and black tights in his video. “I realized that was not super-flattering to my lines because my legs are already very long, and it just made me look like I wasn’t completely in my body,” Fine says. When he refilmed, he wore what he felt comfortable in: a blue unitard. He also added blue backlighting to complement the tone of his solo. And it worked. “The first night when I got to YoungArts Week, [the faculty and staff] were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, the blue unitard!’ So, that definitely helped me stand out.”

Bring a Congenial Attitude to Miami

For those who make it to YoungArts Week, remember that you are going to meet some very talented peer artists. This can sometimes dredge up feelings of insecurity, especially because you are being evaluated throughout the week for award money and, possibly, a Presidential Scholar nod. 

But being competitive is not what YoungArts Week is about, Fine says: “Once you make it to YoungArts Week, the competition is over.” Instead, lean into the opportunity to grow your art community. Erickson notes his fondest memories of the week involved developing friendships with other winners—some dancers, others not. Since then, “I’ve been meeting up with friends from YoungArts when they come to my hometown and when I’m traveling,” he says. “It’s really cool to have formed these lifelong connections.”