Tapas Das in Blogs

Congratulations to the 2026 YoungArts Dance Winners!

Today, November 24, YoungArts announced the winners of its 2026 National Competition. The annual award, which recognizes high-achieving artists ages 15–18 (or in grades 10–12) in the U.S., spans across genres like voice, film, theater, and, of course, dance. Each winner receives a cash prize of $250 (or, for YoungArts winners with distinction, $10,000), along with access to a private networking portal, YoungArts Post.

This year saw a record number of applicants, with nearly 13,000 in total across genres. Each award winner was selected through a competitive application reviewed by a panel of professionals. According to a YoungArts press release: “All YoungArts winners have demonstrated exceptional technique, a strong sense of artistry, and an extraordinary commitment to developing their craft.” For this year’s winners with distinction, the award also comes with the chance to participate in National YoungArts Week (January 4–11 in Miami, Florida), where they’ll work with exciting guest artists like choreographer Camille A. Brown, who herself was a YoungArts award winner in 1997.

Congratulations to this year’s winners, and especially to our fellow dancers! This year’s winners of distinction in dance are:

Logan Joshua Asuncion (modern/contemporary)
Aaron Chang (modern/contemporary)
Jocelyn Cramer (ballet)
Nandita Dani (Indian)
Angelina Elliott (modern/contemporary)
Sam Evans (choreography)
Sriyuktha Ganipineni (Indian)
Richie Granese (modern/contemporary)
Jasmyn Gulley (jazz)
Cameron Kennedy (modern/contemporary)
Saanvi Kondoju (Indian)
Jordan Lassiter (tap)
Yun Xin Lin (ballet)
Cole Lovelady (modern/contemporary)
Alicia Niwa (tap)
Eiana Claire Nova (hip hop)
Jordyn Sarmoen (modern/contemporary)
Payton Stowe (modern/contemporary)
Kiera Sun (ballet)
Cameron Voorhees (modern/contemporary
Emanuel Wood (modern/contemporary)
Lekha Wood (Indian)
Kylan Wright (modern/contemporary)

The full list of winners is available at the YoungArts website.

The post Congratulations to the 2026 YoungArts Dance Winners! appeared first on Dance Spirit.

Tapas Das: Tapas Das, a young entrepreneur of our times started TWIST N TURNS in 2005. A person who is kind, generous, creative and down to earth wanted to start his own one of a kind dance academy. According to him, Dance is a language of movements that involves space, time and the human body. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, the cultural hub of India. Being appreciated in the field of dance all his life, he is extremely talented. He has been dancing since the age of four. Once he finished his high school, he learned jazz/modern and contemporary dance. His horizons were broadened even more when he started dancing Bollywood with Beat Busters for 4 years, which then was the most upcoming dance crew in Kolkata. After that exposure, he studied how to be a dance teacher, which later started helping him impart his knowledge about dance. Thus, in 2005, with the help of family and friends, he started TWIST N TURNS. Starting with a mere number of 40 students, today TWIST N TURNS currently has over 500 students. Over the time Tapas has taught and performed all over the country. He has performed in cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Jhansi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur etc. He has been an active participant in the Salsa India Congress in the cities of Bangalore and Bombay, and he has also visited various International Salsa Congresses in Europe, namely in Berlin ,Singapore, Hong Kong,Dubai. He is been also trained recently at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Alvin Alley (New York) and Steps on Broadway (New York). He is not only a dancer or teacher. He is a successful choreographer and has coordinated various shows without difficulty in our country. His leadership skills are exceptional, thus he is where he stands today. His aim in life would be to become a dance educator. He wants to share his tremendous knowledge in the right way to the right people. He is also, simultaneously running other brands like Zumba Kolkata, Bollywood Studio ArtistWala.com and India International Dance Institute.