Gala de Danza has brought together performing artists from around the world to help enrich the lives of young dancers and their communities. Dancers, choreographers and musicians from 15 different countries have graced the stage of the Cultural Pavilion in Los Cabos for the last three years in this community dance extravaganza.
Each year collaborations between talented artists continue to grow. Gala de Danza believes in collaborations and diversity within all forms of the performing arts. In collaboration with Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and keeping with YAGP ?s mission to provide performance opportunities to young dancers, the talented finalists are invited to perform at the Pavilion with outstanding guest artists from around the world due to its continued sponsorship from the community.
Previous collaborators include: Derek Hough, an Emmy award- winning, Dancing With the Stars choreographer, Los Cabos original promoter, the famed Sammy Hagar, Grammy winner and Music Hall of Fame legend, Yury Smekalove of the Mariinsky and Eifman Ballet companies of St. Peterburg, Misty Copeland, principal of the American Ballet Theatre, Lucia Lacarra, principal of the Bavarian State Ballet, and Daniel Ulbricht, principal of New York City Ballet.
The founder of this organization is Christina Lyon, from Newport Beach, California. She began dancing at the age of twelve years old and studied with Yvonne Mounsey, former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and Rosemary Valaire formerly of the Royal Ballet. At age thirteen, she was invited to train at the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Lyon has worked with such luminaries as Margot Fonteyn, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, Maya Plisetskaya, and Agnes Demille among many others.
Gala de Danza 2016, in its fourth year features the return of the Mariinsky as well as 12 of the top youth dancers in the world, finalists from Youth America Grand Prix and YouTube sensations along with some of the Galas professional dancers and a Mexican premiere featuring a heart-stopping performance with six parkour artists and Mariana Carrillo choreographed by renowned choreographer Josie Walsh of BalletRED. Other performers include: Austen Acevedo, Adiarys Almeida, Bad Boys of Ballet, Juliette Bosco, Antonio Casalinho, Melissa Chapski, Riccardo Cocchi, Taras Domitro, Joel Fridman-Rojas, Adrian Fry, Avery Gay, Lamonte Goode, Burim Jusu , Illjaz Jusu , Kenedy Kallas, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Alex Laya, Sophia Lucia, Momix, Xander Parish, Sarah Schäfer, Beckanne Sisk, and Yulia Zagoruychenko.
