Each year, the Festival enchants boys and girls with a wonderful opportunity to explore the secrets of the legendary Russian ballet school and to discover new nuancesof its refined style. This is a chance not only to learn from the bestteachers, but also to uncover one’s own talents, to gain in selfconfidence, and to delight in one’s progress. This gives each and every one of them a chance to get a little closer to their dreams. «Their dreams of international stardom,» a bystander might think. But no, that’s not it. These young swans, only cygnets still, torture their feet not in search of reverberating fame. Just as a writer cannot put down his pen, or a musician stop the music constantly sounding in his head, so these little boys and girls, fascinated by the artistry and the magic of the dance, cannot breathe without en dedans and jetés.

Dance Open Young Stars Gala presents to the St. Petersburg public young dancers from all around the world. Each year, new names are introduced. Each year, there is the opportunity to look down the ages. The stage of the Hermitage Theatre, impregnated with centuries of history, is opened to the future again.