Camila Guadalupe Díaz Shines in YAGP Finals with Teacher Gabriela Esquivel

A Camila Guadalupe Diaz, 10 years old, dance captured her when she was only three. Since then she faces the bar and the mirrors every day at the Gabriela Esquivel Ballet Studio.

Right now the dancer and her teacher are in NY, since last week. The fact is that, among more than 300 participants from Argentina and Latin America, Camila was among the eight selected to participate in the YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix) Final. It is the largest dance competition in the world. More than 12,000 dancers auditioned this year, and only 500 were selected for the finals in New York.

Camila will be the only Argentine representative in her category. Gabriela Esquivel, together with his prominent disciple, they responded to LA GACETA.

-How do you characterize your student?

– (Esquivel – GE) She is a girl with many physical conditions, to which was added intense and serious work for seven years at our school. She also loves to dance and transmits pleasure when doing so; She does not limit herself to executing steps but she puts her heart into it.

-What does dance mean to you?

– (Díaz – CGD) For me it is a passion that makes me happy; Being in classes, rehearsals and on stage are my favorite moments.

– How many hours do you dedicate to studying daily?

– (GE) Comes from Monday to Saturday, five hours a day between classes and rehearsals. Take classical classes with me, Contemporary with Belen Caro and Physical Preparation with May Alderete.

– Between classic and contemporary, what do you choose?

– (CGD) I love them both. It is difficult to choose because they are very different and at the same time they complement each other, but if I have to choose one it would be classic: it was the first thing I danced and that made me happy.

– What is your greatest aspiration in dance?

– (CGD) My greatest desire in dance is to become a professional dancer and work in an important company. Also, being able to get to know new places, people and dance techniques.

-How does Camila come to present herself at YAGP Argentina?

– (GE) The Giros Pro Danza itinerant school (which is part of the YGP Argentina organization) held Classical and Contemporary Dance seminars in which they chose and awarded students with scholarships to participate in the next edition of Giros. In Tucumán the activity was carried out in Yerba Buena through the Contemporary Foundation. Camila won a full scholarship, 100%, and after video pre-selection she was selected to participate in November 2023 in YGP Argentina. She then not only finished in the top 12 of the best dancers, but she obtained first place in Classical and Contemporary Dance. She also won a scholarship to Elmhurst Ballet School, in England. She also surpassed the minimum score she needed to be selected for the New York finals. There are only two Argentinian women who travel and she is the only Argentine representative in her category (pre-competitive).

– What enables you to reach the YAGP NY finals?

– (GE) The opportunities and moments experienced when attending this event are many and invaluable. There are 10 days in which countless classes are taught, in addition to competing with their classic and contemporary variations. There the professors and juries are teachers from the best schools in the world, who also go there looking for talented students to offer them scholarships at their schools. There is a Final Gala with the world’s greatest ballet stars, where participants make the famous parade that is presented at Lincoln Center. And of course, added to this is the experience of sharing dance with children from all over the world, passionately united in this experience full of learning.