November 22,  2021  

Greetings from Rejoice School of Ballet,

As we enter this season of gratitude, I’m grateful for your investment in Rejoice School of Ballet. Because of your generosity, we have many blessings to celebrate as the year ends.   
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At Rejoice, we are giving thanks this year for:
  • An enrollment of more than 100 students back for in-person training, including two new classes  serving nearly 20 dancers at Hadley Park Community Center in North Nashville. 
  • Recording and distributing “Saam Psalms: Together Songs,” our original ballet exploring slavery and racism to a large audience as a way to perform this important work during Covid-19.
  • A transition team who continues to guide the organization as we search for a permanent executive director. 
  • Our partnership with Nashville Ballet to increase diversity in ballet. Two Rejoice students are training full-time at the School of Nashville Ballet Academy on full scholarship. 

Your investment in Rejoice in 2020 allowed us to train, nurture and celebrate dancers from diverse backgrounds on an income-based sliding scale that ensures any child who wants to study ballet has access to excellent training. We are also thankful that you helped us provide leotards, shoes and costumes to all of those dancers. This year we were able to make sure every dancer received tights and shoes to match their skin tone as part of their official uniform.

In addition to teaching ballet, we continue our work this year by bringing to life this February  “Carnival of Animals” and “African Suite” directed by Imani Sailers, Nashville Ballet company member and Rejoice faculty.  We will also provide programming focused on health and nutrition, life skills, diversity and spiritual formation.  

Will you join us in this work? Would you be willing to make a year-end donation to invest in our students and our community? By providing access to excellent ballet education, you provide a Rejoice student with the dignity, skills and imagination they need to become the young adult God created them to be. 
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This is a transitional time in the life of Rejoice and more than ever our mission matters.  As our team continues to invest in our students, we see the power of ballet to transform lives, and eventually our community. Watching our dancers grow in faith and maturity in a diverse, safe and loving community is a gift and we thank you for making that possible. 

With gratitude on behalf of the students, staff and board of directors,

Jo Ellen Werking Weedman
Interim Executive Director
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