Nora Yun Schaefer, a 12-year-old Loudoun County resident, recently placed third in both the classical ballet and contemporary dance divisions at the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix regional competition this February in Winston-Salem, N.C. Schaefer has advanced to compete among an elite group at the competition finals in New York this April.

The Youth America Grand Prix is the world's largest ballet competition with more than 8,000 dancers competing at 35 regionals in cities across the globe. Schaefer, who has been taking ballet since age three, credits her success to the professional training program at Akhmedova Ballet Academy in Silver Spring, where she is part of the preparatory division. "I am so honored to have advanced to finals and am beyond grateful to my teachers for the training that made it possible," Schaefer shared.

Schaefer attends an online school for sixth grade to accommodate her dance training. She has attended prestigious summer intensive programs at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. and Joffrey School of Ballet in New York City. This summer, Schaefer will continue her training with ABA at intensives in Silver Spring, MD and Cape Cod, MA.