About YBC Ballet Concours

The YBC Ballet Concours is a ballet competition organized in major cities in Japan since 2018.
Judging will be conducted by an excellent jury of professional dancers and instructors with a wealth of experience both in Japan and around the world.
In addition, our jury members ensures that there is no bias toward the (former) affiliations or any particular ballet company, thus ensuring that the participants are judged fairly. As a result, today our concours has grown to approximately 2,500 participants per year, and in many cases, early deadlines have been reached due to the large number of applications.
We welcome participation from overseas, and have accepted many participants from ballet schools in various countries such as the United States, China, South Korea, Singapore and Philippines.

Upcoming Schedule of YBC Ballet Concours

  • The 24th YBC Yokohama Ballet Concours: Dec 23,2025
  • The 15th YBC Ballet Concours Tokyo: Dec 24-25,2025 *With Contemporary
  • The 2nd YBC Ballet Concours Kamakura: Dec 26,2025 *With Contemporary
  • The 4th YBC Ballet Concours Saitama: Feb 1, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 16th YBC Ballet Concours Tokyo: Feb 14, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 17th YBC Ballet Concours Tokyo: Mar 8, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 25th YBC Yokohama Ballet Concours: Mar 27, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 8th YBC Ballet Concours Nagoya: Mar 30, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 8th YBC Ballet Concours Fukuoka: Mar 31, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The 18th YBC Ballet Concours Tokyo: Apr 1, 2026 *With Contemporary
  • The Grand Prix 2026: May 24, 2026
  • The 1st YBC Ballet Concours Shizuoka: Jun 7, 2026 *With Contemporary

Our exclusive features

  • Judging by experienced jury. Learn more about the judges here.
  • Divisions (Categories) for various levels (Pre-Concours (non-competitive division) is open to ages 5 and up.）
  • Participants and their instructors are invited to the Gala Performance, which is held every summer.*1.
  • Those who achieve excellent results in the Grand Prix Concour *2 will win the opportunity to perform in the Gala Performance (held every summer)*1
  • For the Classical Variation in the Pre-Concours Choreography Category (choreography provided by YBC Ballet Concours), music submission is not required, as the official YBC music file(Ballet Navi Music) will be used.

Join the YBC Ballet Concours: Welcoming International Participants

  • With English support available, non-Japanese-speaking groups are welcome to participate.
  • The YBC Ballet Concours office can be contacted in English from the initial inquiry stage.
  • Dressing rooms may be reserved exclusively available for groups upon prior consultation. However, availability depends on the venue’s capacity.
  • On the competition day, English-speaking staff will be present to assist, ensuring a smooth and worry-free experience.
  • We can accommodate the number of accompanying persons flexibly. Please consult with the office in advance.
  • For the “With Advise” option, you may choose to receive feedback in either Japanese or English. Please note that interpretation services are not provided.
  • If you are planning to hold special workshops for participants before or after the YBC Ballet Concours dates, please consult with the YBC Ballet Concours Office.
  • Regarding participation fee payment, in addition to individual PayPal transactions via the application form, we also accept group payments via PayPal for schools or studios. Official receipts can be issued upon request. Please select “Bank Transfer” on the application form and notify the YBC Ballet Concours Office. A PayPal invoice addressed to the school will be sent accordingly.
  • If you require a visa to enter Japan, support can be provided. Please consult with the Concours Office.

Access the official brochure in PDF format: YBC Ballet Concours Overview Brochure 2025

Divisions and Categories

Categories of Pre-Concours Divisions Age Regulations
Choreography A
Choreography B		 Age 5-9
Age 10-12		 Soft ballet shoes ※Submission of music is not required
Soft ballet shoes ※Submission of music is not required
Early grades
B1
B2		 Age 5-9
Age 10-12
Age 13-15		 Soft ballet shoes required
Soft ballet shoes required
Soft ballet shoes required
A1
A2		 Age 11-12
Age 13-15		 Pointe shoes required　
Pointe shoes required
Categories of Concours Divisions Age Regulations
Junior
Grade 5
Grade 6
JH1
JH2
JH3		 Age 9-12
Age 11
Age 12
Age 13
Age 14
Age 15		 Soft ballet shoes required　
Pointe shoes required
Pointe shoes required
Pointe shoes required
Pointe shoes required
Pointe shoes required
Youth (Hight School) Age 16-18 Pointe shoes required
Senior Age 19-22 Pointe shoes required
Adult Age 23+ Participants may enter with soft ballet shoes or pointe shoes.
Contemporary
(Elementary/Junior/Senior)		 Age 10-29 Held irregularly
*Judging will be divided into elementary, junior and senior

*Although the age ranges shown above are provided for reference, eligibility is based on the Japanese school system, which defines each grade by birthdates from April 2 to April 1 of the following year.
For example, in the 2025 school year, Grade 3 in the Junior Division includes those born between April 2,2016 and April 1, 2017. Division placement may be adjusted based on birth month.

Rules and Regulations

Awards

  • Pre-Concours Divisions: Non competitive. Of the top 70%, the highest 10% will recieve the Jury Special Excellence Award, the next 20% will recieve the Special Excellence Award, 40% will be awarded the Excellence Award, and the remaining 30% will beawarded the Encouragement Award.
  • In each category of the Concours, 1st through 8th places will be announced on the day of the competition. In the Contemporary Division, only 1st through 3rd places will be announced per category.

About music

  • Participants from overseas may submit their own music in advance as MP3 files.
  • Participants in the Choreography Division will receive MP3 files of the classical variations.

Variation Time

-Pre-Concours categories: within 2min. 30 sec.
-Concours categories: within 3 min. 10 sec.
-Adult category: within 3 min.
-Contemporary categories: within 3 min.
*Please note that beginning in March 2026, the time limit for the Contemporary category will be changed to within 2 min. 30 sec.

Participation Fee

(Fees will be revised from 2026)
-Pre-Concours categories: 25,000 JPY (from 2026: 26,000JPY)
-Concours and Adult categories: 25,000 JPY (from 2026: 26,000JPY)
-Contemporary: 28,000 JPY (from 2026: 29,000JPY)
-Participation for 2 divisions: 40,000 JPY (from 2026: 42,000JPY)
-Participation fees can only be paid via Paypal or international money transfer.

By proceeding to the application form, you are deemed to have confirmed the above information

 

Click here to apply for 2025

Click here to apply for 2026

YBC Grand Prix (*2)

The YBC Grand Prix is a competition that grants participation rights only to participants who meet the following criteria in the YBC Ballet Concours held from April of the previous year to March of the year of the competition.

  • Classical Division: Participants who placed from 1st to 3rdplace in any category of the YBC Ballet Concours held during the specified period.
  • Contemporary Division: Participants who placed from 1st to 3rd place in the Contemporary Category of the YBC Ballet Concours held during the specified period.

Participants who place from 1st to 12th in each category will be awarded, and those who achieve outstanding results among them will receive the following opportunities to perform or scholarships.

  • 1st and 2nd place winners in each Category of Concours Divisions will have the opportunity to perform solo at the Yokohama Ballet Festival.
  • 1 or 2 participants from each Category of Contemporary Divisions, selected through jury deliberation, will perform at the Yokohama Ballet Festival.
  • 2 to 5 members under 20 years old will be selected to perform at the Yokohama Ballet Festival as part of “Jeune Ballet Yokohama”.
  • Up to 5 participants per performance will have the right to participate in exhibition performances at ballet concerts held across Japan during the summer.
  • Full scholarship for 1 participant and half scholarships for 2 participants for the workshop “Tokyo International Ballet Intensive” held in the summer. https://www.soyplanning.com/tokyoibi2024/


YBC Ballet Concours is organized by Soyplanning Corporation, which operates ballet-related events and media businesses with the motto “Bringing art closer to everyday life.” In addition to the concours business, we also produce various ballet and dance performances under the SHIVER brand, providing opportunities for participants of the YBC Ballet Concours to perform and enjoy the stage.

SOYPLANNING CORPORATION (English Corporate Site)

Upcoming Schedule

  • May 24,2026 : YBC Ballet Concours Grand Prix 2026 at Itabashi Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo) (*2)

* The 2026 schedule will be announced as soon as it is confirmed.

For more information, please see the link below

–YBC Ballet Concours Grand Prix 2025
–YOKOHAMA Ballet Festival 2025
–SHIVER

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