Junior ballerina Tiffany Jocelyn Ong set to compete at the Big Apple

MANILA, Philippines — After making waves in various ballet competitions here and abroad, young ballerina Tiffany Jocelyn Ong is set to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix to be held in New York from April 11 to 20.

The first part of the final competition will take place in Suny Purchase College, Westchester County where thousands of participants will compete.

The main highlight of the final competition will happen in New York City, which will include Final Classical Rounds Junior and Senior Soloists, YAGP Stars of Today Meets the Stars of Tomorrow Gala and Awards Ceremony.

It was in 2015 when Tiffany first tried out ballet. Her parents, Omar and Sui Ling Ong, gave their full support to then three-and-a-half-year-old Tiffany. Her potentials were discovered by teacher Mark Christopher Simbiling, who became very hands-on in training Tiffany and honing her for competitions.

She joined a competition in Hong Kong when she was seven and won gold on her first outing. This was followed by several awards in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Even the pandemic didn’t stop this ballerina as she continued her training and dominated competitions online (Montana, Cuba and Italy).

Simbiling shared that 11 years old is the usual peak age. Tiffany was at that age when she competed at the 2022 Youth Grand Prix Philippines (YGPPH) and received the highest award in her category—the HOPE award. 

This is given to the contestant who receives the highest score in both Classical and Contemporary competitions. And because of this, Tiffany was invited to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix held in Tampa, Florida in April 2023.

Now 12, Tiffany will compete for the first time in the point shoes category in the 12-14 age group in New York. The soft-spoken Tiffany shared that her preparations entail more exercises focused on the feet in order to be on top form come April.

She is optimistic that with her hard work and dedication, she can reap awards like her previous outings.

When asked about her idols in her chosen sport, she fondly cites Rebecca Hadibroto, a two -time Indonesian champion at YAGP.

Her parents shared their tips in honing Tiffany as young ballerina champion. Most