Our competition is structured into a semi-final and a final.
There are four different categories based on the dancer's year of birth. Dancers can compete from the year they turn 9 until the year they turn 19.
The semi-final consists of a judged masterclass. 16-20 dancers will be selected from each category and will be chosen to compete in our final.
For the final, dancers in each category perform two solos: classical and contemporary.
Trophies are awarded to the top 3 placing dancers and medals for dancers placing 4th-6th.
All dancers participating in the final will perform in the Grand Défilé as part of the Awards Ceremony. The Défilé is not judged.
Photo by Yellow Belly
Constance Devernay-Laurence is a Principal dancer, actress, yoga instructor and ballet coach. She is currently dancing with London CIty Ballet.
Born in France, Constance joined the Scottish Ballet in 2008 after graduating from English National Ballet School. She was promoted to Soloist in 2014 and to Principal dancer in 2016.
Throughout her career, Constance Devernay-Laurence has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary roles, dancing the works of renowned choreographers such as Kenneth MacMillan, David Dawson, George Balanchine, Christopher Bruce, Peter Darrell, Crystal Pite, Christopher Hampson and Helen Pickett. Constance left Scottish Ballet June 2023, to pursue a career on screen, as well as on stage internationally.
Constance features in TV Series Etoile, on Prime Video, created by Amy and Dan Palladino. She plays the role of Mélanie, and is the dance body double for Cheyenne, played by Lou De Laâge.
Constance was nomindated for 2 national dance awards nominations and won the 2022 National Dance Critics Circle Award for Best Female Classical Performance for her role of Swanilda in Coppélia.
While Constance's primary focus is her career as a principal dancer, she is also passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise with aspiring dancers. Through masterclasses and workshops, she imparts her wisdom, nurturing the next generation of talent and inspiring them to reach new heights in their own dance journeys. Constance has taught for Studio Wayne McGregor, English National Ballet School, London Vocational Ballet School, Rambert School, NEBT, Acosta Dance Centre, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and she is now the course leader for Ballet Nights Masterclasses.
Constance has been practising Yoga alongside her career and holds a Yoga Level 3 Instructor diploma and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport, Fitness and Coaching.
Photo by Laura Mumby
Sindy Monson is the Co-Director and Choreographer of Balletto Monson, a company at the forefront of contemporary ballet practice. Renowned for her innovative and genre-crossing choreographic style, Sindy brings over three decades of experience to her work, both on stage and in the studio.
Sindy’s professional journey began as a freelance dancer in neo-classical and contemporary works, performing with Cork City Ballet, Pendulum Arts Company, White Monkey Trip Dance Theatre, Dance Junction, and Sarah Allen Dancers. She premiered her first professional choreography at Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Theatre in 1995 and was soon appointed resident choreographer for Pendulum Arts Company.
Choreography has been central to Sindy’s artistic identity ever since. Her recent works include Pie Jesu (2024), Orion’s Belt (2022), a 64-minute ballet, and Seasons (2021). Sindy’s choreographic voice spans classical, contemporary, neo-classical, musicals, mixed-media, and Screen Dance. She has choreographed for soloists up to large casts of 170 dancers, often collaborating closely with composers and visual artists.
Her academic training includes a BA from Middlesex University and postgraduate research at the University of Utah, where she studied under screen dance pioneer Ellen Bromberg and movement scientist Sally S. Fitt. These disciplines have continued to shape her choreographic and pedagogical approaches, especially in the integration of somatic practices and cinematic sensibilities.
Sindy has held numerous leadership roles, including founding Ballet Academy Scotland in 2011 and launching the Scottish Youth Ballet Grand Prix (now Ballet Grand Prix) in 2015. Her teaching credentials include RAD, IDTA, ISTD, PBT, and Acrobatic Arts. She has guest lectured for institutions such as The Place, Tring Park School, and Middlesex University, and was a full-time professor at the Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, where she created several signature choreographic works.
Now, through Balletto Monson and Contemporary Ballet, Sindy continues to challenge and evolve ballet’s traditional frameworks, artistically, physically, and conceptually.
Gavin is from Motherwell in Scotland and trained at The Dance School of Scotland and English National Ballet School. Alongside his studies, he worked part-time with the Dance School at the Royal Academy of Dance.
Gavin joined Northern Ballet upon graduation in 2014 and in 2020 was promoted to Junior Soloist. He has danced several leading roles including Acolyte in Jean-Christophe Malliot’s Romeo and Juliet; St. John in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre; Athos inThe Three Musketeers and Tom in The Great Gatsby by David Nixon CBE.
In 2019 he was commissioned to create a short film for Northern Ballet’s Digital Platform, Silenced, which went on to win Best Dance Short at the New Renaissance Film Festival in London. In 2021, his first children’s ballet, Pinocchio, premiered for Northern Ballet in Leeds before a substantial national tour. Gavin has also choreographed work for Images Company, Elmhurst Ballet School and a full-length Snow White for London Children’s Ballet at the Peacock Theatre.
Gavin’s coaching experience has found him leading classes and workshops for Northern Ballet Academy, Royal Academy of Dance, Scottish Ballet’s Associate Programme, Northern Ballet School, The Ballet Retreat, London Studio Centre, Moorland International Ballet Academy and Conservatorio de Dance do Vale do Sousa in Portugal.
Gavin is Deputy Chair of Yorkshire Dance, Chief Operating Officer of Fundamentally Dance and a former Director of London Vocational Ballet School.
Kerry Livingston
Head of BA Modern Ballet, Head of Associate Programme, Scottish Ballet
In 2008 Kerry joined Scottish Ballet as the Head of the Associate Programme. In the same year, she was asked to work on the development of the BA Modern Ballet Programme – a partnership between Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RCS) and following its successful validation in the summer of 2009, she was appointed as a Lecturer on the new course. She continues to combine her roles at the RCS and Scottish Ballet and was appointed Head of Modern Ballet in 2014.
Kerry trained at the Royal Academy of Dance in London and graduated with a 1st class BA (Hons) in the Art and Teaching of Ballet and a Licentiate of the RAD.
After teaching on a freelance basis in London, she joined the faculty of Northern Ballet School in Manchester, where she taught on both the Professional Dancers’ Course and the full-time Teachers’ course. This included training both male and female students up to Solo Seal level and delivering the RAD STC and ISTD Associate qualifications.
She was promoted to the role of Course Co-ordinator in 1999, with responsibility for the implementation of the Dance and Drama Awards at NBS and oversaw four successive OFSTED inspections, where the school was awarded an ‘Outstanding/Grade 1’ for its provision.
On moving back to Scotland in 2002, she took up a post at the Dance School of Scotland, teaching boys and girls between the ages of 11-18 years of age.
In 2008 she joined Scottish Ballet as the Head of the Associate Programme. In the same year, she was asked to work on the development of the BA Modern Ballet Programme – a partnership between Scottish Ballet and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RCS) and following its successful validation in the summer of 2009, she was appointed as a Lecturer on the new course. She continues to combine her roles at the RCS and Scottish Ballet and was appointed Head of Modern Ballet in 2014.
Kerry is also a tutor for the RAD and has a Master’s Degree in Ballet Studies from the University of Surrey.
Constance Devernay-Laurence is a Principal dancer, actress, yoga instructor and ballet coach. She is currently dancing with London CIty Ballet.
Born in France, Constance joined the Scottish Ballet in 2008 after graduating from English National Ballet School. She was promoted to Soloist in 2014 and to Principal dancer in 2016.
Throughout her career, Constance Devernay-Laurence has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary roles, dancing the works of renowned choreographers such as Kenneth MacMillan, David Dawson, George Balanchine, Christopher Bruce, Peter Darrell, Crystal Pite, Christopher Hampson and Helen Pickett. Constance left Scottish Ballet June 2023, to pursue a career on screen, as well as on stage internationally.
Constance features in TV Series Etoile, on Prime Video, created by Amy and Dan Palladino. She plays the role of Mélanie, and is the dance body double for Cheyenne, played by Lou De Laâge.
Constance was nomindated for 2 national dance awards nominations and won the 2022 National Dance Critics Circle Award for Best Female Classical Performance for her role of Swanilda in Coppélia.
While Constance's primary focus is her career as a principal dancer, she is also passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise with aspiring dancers. Through masterclasses and workshops, she imparts her wisdom, nurturing the next generation of talent and inspiring them to reach new heights in their own dance journeys. Constance has taught for Studio Wayne McGregor, English National Ballet School, London Vocational Ballet School, Rambert School, NEBT, Acosta Dance Centre, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and she is now the course leader for Ballet Nights Masterclasses.
Constance has been practising Yoga alongside her career and holds a Yoga Level 3 Instructor diploma and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport, Fitness and Coaching.
The Grand Défilé is an opportunity for all of the BGP dancers to perform together on the stage. Dancers rehearse several times throughout the event to learn group choreography that is then performed at the Awards Ceremony. Sindy Monson will be choreographing the défilé.
A detailed schedule will be released to the participants closer to the competition dates.
As this year marks our 10th anniversary, we will be doing something a little different to celebrate!
Guidelines for participants
Dancers must attend all assigned rehearsals
Dancers must have the items of clothing as indicated for the performance. Please nore there are no rquired dancewear for our semi-final masterclasses.
Required dancewear
Option 1
Pre-juniors: Lilac leotard with matching short lilac skirt
Juniors: Purple leotard with matching short purple skirt
Mids: Royal Blue leotard with matching long royal blue skirt
Seniors: Burgundy leotard with matching long burgundy skirt
Pink or skin toned tights and matching shoes
Mids and over may dance en pointe
Option 2
Plain black unitard
Black socks and shoes
As this year marks our 10th anniversary, we will be doing something a little different to celebrate!
Our list of supporters will be updated soon ahead of our 2026 Final!
If you would like to sponsor a prize, please get in touch via email.
We’re delighted that Really Awesome Coffee will be on site throughout the day, offering gourmet barista coffee and hot drinks, as well as cold drinks, chilled sandwiches, wraps, and a small selection of hot food.
Imperfect Pointes is our sustainable dancewear supporter and we are so happy that they will be supporting Ballet Grand Prix. All dancewear and tights are consciously-made in the UK using fabrics made from recycled plastics.
We are so pleased that Freed of London is supporting us this year again, by offering 1 pair of pointe shoes to a winner in the mid and senior categories and a prize voucher for the pre and junior categories. The winners will be able to get their pointe shoes fitted at their store in London, Covent Garden.
Crystal Pointe is supporting a prize by gifting a Tiara. Crystal Pointe will also be present with a pop-shop at our final where you will have the opportunity to purchase lovely ballet gifts and souvenirs such as headdresses, decorative pointe shoes, teddies and hair accessories.
We are pleased to announce that Rimbaud is our official photographer and videographer for our final and is supporting a prize by awarding a 30-minute studio photoshoot.