Rejoice Ballet: Opening Doors to So Much More
A letter from our Executive Director, Patricia Cross:
When I opened the doors to Rejoice School of Ballet 17 years ago, my dream was that ballet would be accessible to any student who had the desire to study classical ballet. I knew that innate in ballet training is poise, discipline, teamwork and self-worth and that these things could open doors in the future of our dancers’ lives.
As we prepare to open the doors on our 18th season to a record number of dancers this fall, we must raise more support than ever for their training. The tuition our families pay provides less than 15 percent of our annual budget. This summer we will hire highly qualified teachers, purchase dancewear and shoes for our students and invest in a groundbreaking, original ballet about the history of slavery and racism in our country.
Today I am writing you to ask for your support to help us open the doors to our 18th season at Rejoice School of Ballet.
We need your help to achieve our mission of training, nurturing and celebrating dancers from diverse backgrounds. Will you consider a gift to help open the door to excellent ballet training, programming focused on health and wellness, diversity and spiritual formation and building a community of artists and friends who respect and love each other in spite of differences?
At Rejoice, we offer excellent, professional ballet training that provides an opportunity for our students to study and perform ballet after high school. This year, one of our advanced students, who has only ever studied at Rejoice, auditioned for and was admitted to several competitive summer intensive programs around the country. Our pre-professional students are successful on American Ballet Theatre exams and continue to receive scholarships to Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive. We are proud of the training we provide and celebrate these accomplishments.
But, we also believe that ballet, and the community we’re creating, opens the doors to so much more in the lives our students.
Our dancers say it best:
“Rejoice is a place where making mistakes is o.k. If you make a mistake you learn to pull through and finish strong.”
“Rejoice is my second home. It’s a place I feel safe and loved.”
“Rejoice is my sanctuary. It’s a whole different world here.”
“Rejoice is a place where I not only learn how to dance, but how to love and respect others.”
“Rejoice is a place to be able to dance and learn without worrying about my parents’ income.”
I personally want to thank you for every gift you’ve offered Rejoice and ask that you support us again in the 2017-2018 season. It’s my honor to have a front row seat to how your support is opening doors in the lives of our dancers.
Rejoice Ballet: Opening the Doors to So Much More
P.S. You typically receive a letter from Rejoice in August asking for a gift to our fall campaign. This year, as we think strategically about growing our mission in Nashville, we moved the campaign to spring so we can be ready when we register 150 students this fall.
