Dragoș Gramada, 14, from Bucharest, Romania, fell in love with ballet when he was 11 years old.
Initially, he signed up for street dance/break dance lessons at the dance studio "Dance Planet", thinking that ballet was not for him.
At the time his older brother was taking ballet lessons, he was around 3-4 years old. He didn't like the discipline, nor the seriousness of the ballet teacher.
However, as he grew older, the day he visited the dance school his older brother attended, the school's director from Bucharest, Oana Ionita, offered him a tour of the dance studios and disciplines ...on one condition: to try a ballet class that day. Dragoș agreed and has taken ballet lessons ever since, falling more and more in love with it each day.
Dragoș worked hard to catch up with his colleagues and participated in various competitions and workshops to improve his technique and stage presence, most recently earning 1st Place at Youth America Grand Prix Finals this year in contemporary Pas de Deux.
"Because we understand the value of the faculty at the TCDA-International Ballet Festival, we would like Dragoș Gramada to have the opportunity to participate at this Summer Intensive and to be the winner of this prize in Lyon, France."
~ Dragoș' parents wrote.
Dragoș Gramada / Awards & Achievements
MOVMNT International Competition, June 26-27, 2021:
-Best Male Dancer
-1st place - solo "Paquita"
-1st place - contemporary solo ''Lensky's Monologue''
-1st place - Pas de Deux ''Talisman''
National Spring Edition 2021 All Styles Dance Competition:
- 1st place - "Raymonda" variation
- 1st place - ''Paquita'' variation
National competition "Golden Stars Festival", May 13-16, 2021:
- 1st place - pro ballet section
Romania's Dance Cup National Competition, Buftea, 2021:
- 1st place contemporary solo
Dance World Cup 2021 national competition (semifinal):
-1st place - children's solo - contemporary (boys) section ''Equilibrium''
-qualified for the world finals
Sibiu Dance Competition, April 16-18, 2021:
- Top 5 - Juior Classical Men section
Youth America Grand Prix semifinal competition, Bucharest May 24-25, 2021:
- 1st place - Junior classical
- 3rd place - Junior Contemporary
- 3rd place - Pas de deux (Together)
Youth America Grand Prix FINALS (June 2021):
- 3rd Place Classical Pas de deux Category
Young Artist Grand Prix National Competition, December 1, 2021:
-BEST DUO TROPHY
-1st place solo section 13-15 years old classical ballet
-2nd place - contemporary solo section, 13-15 years old
-1st place - contemporary duo section '' Spirit Talking ''
-1st place - Pas de Deux section
Youth America Grand Prix EUROPEAN FINALS, Barcelona, 5-6 December 2021:
-2nd place Junior Men Classical
-TOP 6 Junior Men Classical
-Short term Scholarship at the School of Theater Basel, Switzerland
-Scholarship at Dutch National Ballet Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- INVITATION AND QUALIFICATION FOR THE USA FINALS '' YOUTH AMERICAN GRAND PRIX '' -
April 12-20, 2022 Tampa, USA
European Ballet Grand Prix 2022 - February 10-13, 2022, Vienna:
-Special Award: MOST PROMISING YOUNG TALENT
-2nd Prize - Teens Professional Classical Solo - '' Paquita ''
-2nd Prize - Teens Professional Contemporary Solo - '' Ballad ''
-1st Prize - Teens Professional Contemporary Duo
-Scholarship invitation for one week - State Ballet School Berlin, Germany
Dance World Cup Romanian Qualifier 2022:
-1st Place - solo ballet children - '' Talisman ''
-1st Place - chlldren solo lyrical boys - '' Ballad ''
-1st Place - duo contemporary children ''Spirits Talking''
-1st Place - Pas de deux "Talismans"
Youth America Grand Prix FINALS, Tampa, FL 2022:
-1st place - Pas de deux contemporary - '' Spirits talking ''
-Top 12 - Junior classic
National Olympics, Timisoara, April 28-30, 2022:
-1st place 100% points with the classic variation "Talisman"