Stories of Southold

Paul Zusi began his training at Southold Dance Theater at the age 6, inspired by his mother’s lifelong love of dance.

In the spring of 2019, Paul was awarded 1st place in the Senior Men’s Classical category and 3rd place in the Senior Men’s Contemporary category at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) semi-finals in Indianapolis. Paul was invited to attend the final round of competition in New York, one of 550 dancers that were selected from a total field of 12,000. At the Finals competition, there is a very important aspect of scholarships and contract offers from professional companies around the country and the world. Several companies were very interested in Paul. He was offered the following opportunities: a Studio Company contract with Sarasota Ballet, a Studio Company contract with Alberta Ballet (Canada), a full tuition scholarship trainee position with the San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West and Orlando Ballet.

Mr. Zusi attended summer programs at The School of American Ballet in 2018 and Boston Ballet School in 2019. Following the summer of 2019, he joined Boston Ballet as a member of their second company, working closely with renowned choreographers and teachers such as Jorma Elo, Peter Stark, Kathleen Mitchell, Larissa Ponomarenko, and Mikko Nissinen. Mr. Zusi’s professional repertoire includes Jorma Elo’s Carmen, Jerome Robbins’s Glass Pieces, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, and other classics including Giselle, Swan Lake, Serenade, The Little Humpbacked Horse, and Don Quixote. Mr. Zusi would like to thank his family and friends for their continued love and support.

​Southold is very proud of Paul Zusi’s accomplishments and we wish him well as he pursues his dream as a professional dancer.