Ballet Yuma earned high praise at the recent Ballet Alliance Festival in Spokane, Washington, proudly representing not just Yuma, but the state of Arizona.
Their performances of “Intertwined” and “Irmandade” were especially impressive, according to Ballet Yuma.
Notably, Yuma’s Allyson Kovesdy received the The Ballet Alliance Emerging Choreography Award with a full scholarship to the TBA Summer Choreographic Project.
Abigail Stewart was awarded a $1,575 scholarship to the University of Utah’s Ballet Intensive, and Margaret Pollard received a $3,000 scholarship to Ballet Arizona’s Summer Intensive along with a $2,000 cash award.
“The prestigious scholarships awarded to our dancers are a testament to the quality of our training and our commitment to cultivating talent capable of performing at the professional level from an early age,” said Alexandria Urias, Ballet Yuma administrator.
Over a course of 30 years, she said, graduates have gone on to dance professionally with highly regarded companies, including New York City Ballet, English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company, Boston Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Miami City Ballet, The Big Muddy, Trey McIntyre Project, Ballet San Jose, Texas Ballet Theater, Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Louisville Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Idaho, Ballet Nouveau Colorado, and City Ballet of San Diego.
"Ballet Yuma's mission is to provide exceptional training that nurtures and develops young dancers into accomplished artists," Urias explained.
A nonprofit organization, Ballet Yuma relies heavily on grant funding and the generous support of our community.
“Thanks to the dedication of our supporters, we have recently raised enough to establish an endowment, an exciting first step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability of our programs,” she said. “We are continually working to grow this endowment so that future generations of dancers can benefit from the same level of excellence and opportunity. If you would like to contribute, please visit our website to make a donation. For those interested in volunteering their time or getting involved in fundraising efforts, we welcome your support, please feel free to email me directly.”
