Twelve-year-old Constantine "Costa" Allen of Kahala, a sixth-grader at Mid-Pacific Institute who recently was the subject of an Island Life fitness profile, has returned from New York and the Youth America Grand Prix. He placed third, in spite of a broken toe, in the age 12-14 division.

"He was the youngest ever to win the bronze," said his proud mother, Dr. Anita Piilai-Allen.

After scouts observed Allen's performance, the young dancer was offered numerous full scholarships to ballet schools across the United States and in Europe. Among them: summer intensives with the American Ballet Theatre and Universal Ballet Academy (formerly Kirov ballet Academy), and programs at the Birmingham Ballet School in England and the Rock School in Philadephia.

He was also offered the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre in New York. However, there is no dormitory yet for the school, so he had to decline. His parents felt he was too young, at 12, to live alone.

In Honolulu, Allen has studied with the Pacific Youth Ballet at Nix Pac for several years, but he has recently decided to begin dancing with Ballet Hawaii.

Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com.