New York, NY (August 15, 2026) — On a warm summer evening in East Hampton, philanthropy and ballet came together beside a shimmering pool. Joanna Fisher opened her gloriously eccentric residence for an evening honoring the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and its founder, Larissa Saveliev. The guest list included members of New York City Ballet, Kloe Walker and Andres Zuniga, both YAGP alumni whose careers reflect the very mission the organization was built to serve.
Standing in her garden before nearly sixty guests, Fisher, who serves on the YAGP Board, set the tone for the night. “Larissa would much rather be backstage rehearsing and teaching dancers than standing in the spotlight, but tonight I’m going to make her the center of attention,” she said.
A Story Rooted in Courage
Fisher went on to share what she finds most compelling about YAGP’s origin story. “For me, the most compelling part of YAGP is how it began,” she said. “It was built by two courageous Bolshoi dancers who defected in 1993, leaving everything behind, creating what has become one of the most important forces in ballet today.”
She described the organization’s reach as extending far beyond the stage, pointing to its work supporting young dancers in Ukraine during wartime. According to Fisher, YAGP helped orchestrate their escape, placing them in schools and companies around the world and securing scholarships, visas, housing, clothing, food, and transportation, everything these young artists needed to rebuild their lives. She noted that even Monaco, where refugees are typically not permitted, opened its doors through cooperation with the Princess Grace Foundation.
Fisher also mentioned a 60 Minutes segment that once profiled Saveliev, one she has still not watched. “That’s because she has never been interested in recognition,” Fisher explained. “Larissa is the real deal. She has helped shape the careers of many of the world’s leading dancers, even Bolshoi takes her guidance. Frankly, I wish she were running our government.”
From the Bolshoi Stage to a New Mission
Saveliev, who took the evening in stride despite the attention, reflected on the journey that led her to found YAGP. “Leaving Russia and beginning a new life in America after my years as a dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet gave me a different perspective on opportunity,” she said. “As I started teaching, I saw gifted young dancers who simply needed someone to believe in them. There wasn’t a ballet scholarship competition that brought students together with all the major international dance companies that could change their lives, so in 1999 Gennadi and I founded Youth America Grand Prix. Everything we’ve built since then has been about opening doors for the next generation.”
Why Evenings Like This One Matter
Nights such as this one do more than celebrate an organization’s history. They remind a room full of supporters that behind every scholarship, every visa, every placement in a foreign school or company, there is a name and a story. A garden party in the Hamptons might seem worlds away from a rehearsal studio in Kyiv or a stage at the Bolshoi, but the connection between the two is exactly what makes organizations like YAGP effective. Donors leave not just having written a check, but having heard, directly from the people involved, why that check matters. It is a model of philanthropy built on proximity rather than distance, and it is part of why YAGP has been able to move quickly when young dancers needed help most.
A Guest List Reflecting the Cause
Among the nearly sixty guests were James Barron and Dr. Jane Farhi, Elizabeth and Richard Brand, Michele Cohen, Nora Coblence, Pamela Dove, Peter Gordonstein and Stephanie Stuart Kossar, Denyce Graves, Dr. Bruce Horten, Lola Koch, Laura Lobdell, Hervé Pierre, Emily Reifel, Nina Taselaar (the hostess’s first cousin), and Sandy and Stan Warshawsky. Several attendees were moved to make donations before the night was through.
About Youth America Grand Prix
Founded in 1999 by Larissa and Gennadi Saveliev, Youth America Grand Prix is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and professional development of young dancers. Through international auditions, scholarships, educational programs, and performance opportunities, YAGP has helped launch the careers of thousands of dancers now performing with leading ballet companies around the world.
