💓 Repost • @abtschool ICYMI! Stella Abrera, Acting Artistic Director, #ABTJKO has been named YGP Philippines @yagpphilippines International Ambassador and Chair of the Panel! #Repost @yagpphilippines with @use.repost ・・・ We are excited to announce the jury panel for the 1st edition of YGP Philippines for YAGP’s 2022-2023 Competition Season. First in the panel, is YGP International Ambassador and Chair of the Panel, Ms. Stella Abrera @stellaabreradetsky Abrera is “thrilled and honored” to be chairing YGP in the Philippines. “I was born in Makati - not far from the gorgeous new Samsung Performing Arts Theater! @cpatofficial - and lived there as a small child,” she explains. “Once my family moved back to LA when I was four, we visited my Lolos and Lolas in Manila every summer. I especially loved our visits to the beautiful mountains of Baguio.” Abrera is a source of pride, not only for Filipinos, but also the Asian community in the US. She is the first Filipino ballerina to be appointed as principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre @abtofficial . Touchingly, before debuting as Giselle in New York with ABT, she danced her first Giselle with Ballet Philippines @balletphilippines in 2014. She retired from dancing in 2020 but keeps busy with administrative and directive roles offstage, most recently serving as artistic director of the Kaatsbaan @kaatsbaan dance program in New York, and now about to assume the role of acting artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School @abtschool in August 2022. Abrera enthuses, “I’m excited to connect with and cheer on the competitors who have had so few performing opportunities in the last two years due to the pandemic. I’m also excited to see what wonderful talent is being groomed on this side of the ocean.” When asked what she thinks of Filipino ballet dancers, she responds, “In general, I’d say there’s a wonderful musicality and innate sense of artistry in Filipino dancers.” See you soon Stella! Registration is on-going. Visit the link in our bio for more info. #yagp #competition #masterclass #classical #ballet #contemporary #scholarship #dance #philippines #danceinphilippines