Black Belt Ballerina

Adeline Mai, Village sophomore, is a young woman of many talents! As a highly accomplished dancer, she and her dance company were recently named finalists in the 2021 Young American Grand Prix Finals. YAGP is the world’s largest ballet competition with over 12,000 auditions in more than 25 cities around the globe, and only 1,200 finalists. Adeline’s ballet and contemporary ensemble earned a highly coveted spot at the invitation-only YAGP Finals in Tampa, Florida this past May.

They were also invited to perform Dance of a Thousand Hands on the finale of Game of Talents which aired on FOX in May!

Even though Adeline has only been dancing for 3 years, her commitment and hard work has paid off. Adeline shared, “Last summer, I began working toward this goal. I actually put ‘Top 12 in YAGP Regionals’ on my vision board!”

When the director of her dance school told her group the great news about the YAGP finals, she was in disbelief, as this was the first time her school had qualified. “The countless hours and hard work we put into the dances made the announcement well worth it,” Adeline said. “It was an incredible honor to be a part of the YAGP and witness the best of the best dancers in America perform.”

Adeline’s next goal is to make it as a solo finalist at next year’s competition.

In addition to dancing, Adeline earned her first-degree black belt in Taekwondo this year. 

While at school, Adeline enjoys STEM subjects and language arts. “Throughout my four years at Village, I love being challenged and innovative in my science and math courses. In particular, Ms. Brivic and Ms. Symmank’s enthusiasm for teaching and their endless support made me excited to learn!” 

She also says teachers like Ms. Estep and Mrs. Huffman helped challenge her to her greatest potential, especially in her speech classes. As a result, Adeline says one of her fondest memories is competing at the Speech and Debate Nationals in 7th grade and placing third in her category.

Adeline is currently on the Speech and Debate team at Village, serves as the secretary for the French Honor Society Club, and stays involved with her classmates as the 10th- grade class representative.

She explained, “The Village community has given me such a great support  system by acknowledging and congratulating my achievements!”