Project D.A.N.C.E

Diversity supports Accepting & Nurturing Community Equality

Four years ago after several conversations with African American mothers in our community who had daughters who wanted to take ballet, we began Project D.A.N.C.E, a diversity outreach program to help nurture an underserved demographic in our community. We reached out to the Meeting Street Academy, located in downtown Spartanburg, to begin a partnership with a vision to support students of color and ethnicity with yearlong ballet lessons. Project D.A.N.C.E. focuses on learning life skills such as respect, dedication, responsibility, perseverance, self-esteem, honesty, confidence, and resilience in concert with the highest of quality ballet training.   Diversity is an integral part of our community, which helps to strengthen cultural relationships. Ballet Spartanburg recognizes the importance and value of all members of the community and the need for all populations to have life changing opportunities through educational dance training.

The program has grown over the past four years to support 10 dancers.These young students share the desire to train in ballet each week, to hone their skills and to develop meaningful and useful life skills. Since the inception of the program, we can now support 10 students on full scholarship for Project D.A. N.C.E. Our goal is support 20 students, male and female, for 2018/2019.

The scholarships for Project D.A.N.C.E. are funded by generous community members, leaders, businesses and foundations to support these students to follow their  passion for ballet. We are forever grateful to these community members, leaders, businesses and foundations who share our vision for this programming.  Project D.A.N.C.E students and parents thank you. We thank you. 

• Susu and George Dean Johnson, Jr. (2015)
• Bill and Valerie Barnet (2015)
• Sam's Club (2015)
• The Episcopal Women of the Church of the Advent (2016)
• Walmart Foundation (2017, 2019)
• Dr. and Mrs. Julian Josey (2017)
• Ms. Lindsay Webster (2018, 2019)
• Mrs. Linda West ( 2018)
• Purpose Financial (2019)

If you are interested in Project D.A.N.C.E and would like to help with this scholarship program, you may donate to the program by clicking here. $513 a year will support one dancer for a full year of ballet lessons. As a sponsor of a student of Project D.A.N.C.E.

• Your sponsorship is tax-deductible
• We invite you to meet the dancer and his/her family
• We invite you to observe your dancer/dancers take lessons in our studio
• We invite you to attend your dancer's end of the year dance demonstration in May

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence," is a beautiful and applicable quote by Helen Keller. These scholarships offer optimism thru the ability to dance. Our students will grow with your confidence and hope. Thank you for your gift of optimism.