New York City Ballet's principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht performed a rousing new work set to Benny Goodman's Sing-Sing-Sing for Youth America Grand Prix's (YAGP) First Position Club backstage at New York City Center. Ulbricht, a Balanchine dancer who choreographs for Broadway, demonstrated how his artistic vision becomes reality, with his homage to Gene Kelly, alongside Broadway dancer Danielle Diniz.

The standing room only audience included Yanna Avis, Evelyn Lorentzen Bell, Sharon Bush, Susan Cheever, CeeCee Cord, Marjorie Reed Gordon, Kim Granger, Lane Harwell, Judith M. Hoffman, Michele Gerber Klein, Latifa Kosta, Abdul Latif, Jared Longhitano, Aimee Maroney, Susan Pappajohn, Faith Petrides, Emily Reifel, Irene Shen, and YAGP Board Chair Linda K. Morse.

Ulbricht's work was commissioned for YAGP's Tampa Bay Gala and was an New York premiere. YAGP's annual New York Gala, Stars of Today Meet the Starts of Tomorrow, will return to Lincoln Center on April 13, 2017.

YAGP currently has over 250 alumni dancing in 50 companies around the world including American Theatre Ballet, New York City Ballet, Mariinsky, and Stuttgart Ballet. YAGP's mission is to support and develop world-class dancers (ages 9 – 19) of all ethnic backgrounds by providing scholarships, auditions, education, performance opportunities, and by serving as the global network of dance; connecting students, teachers, schools, dancers, dance companies and audiences.