117 ~ Rebecca King, YAGP Legacy and Soloist with Finnish National Ballet

My guest is Rebecca King who a soloist with the Finnish National Ballet. Rebecca is also the daughter of Shelly King who was the Director of Operations for the Youth American Grand Prix.  For those you unfamiliar with the Youth American grand prix – or YAGP, it is the largest global network of dance and probably the most popular and well known ballet competitions in the world.  Sadly Shelly recently passed away after dedicating the past 12 years of her life to becoming a "ballet mom" to thousands of young dancers all over the world through her dedicated work with YAGP program.  I know she has made a difference in lives throughout the globe and will continue to be greatly missed. I caught up with Rebecca in Tampa, Florida during the YAGP Regional Competition.  At the time of our interview, Rebecca was finishing up her contract with the National Theater Prague and was just about to start her new contract with the Finnish National Ballet. Rebecca flew in from the Czech Republic for YAGP Regionals to serve the as a judge in the competitions as well as to perform in the YAGP Gala, partnering with Amar Ramasar, who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. We met in the hotel lobby near the theater and had a such an enriching conversation.  Rebecca shares with us her journey in ballet and the fact that the YAGP program is truly the reason she is so successful today. The interview was filled with great advice and information about the benefits of YAGP and the opportunities it can provide aspiring dancers who participate. Finnish National Ballet website YAGP website Balancing Pointe website Twitter You Tube performance from Prague State Opera and Ballet