Help IBT Academy Survive COVID Hardship!

#smallbusinessrelief      #savethearts      #ballet

Due to a year of Covid-related shutdowns the survival of  my amazing former ballet school  is under a major threat! 

Please watch the video that I put together with my ballet friends to explain why we must absolutely save the school. 

This is such a tough time for performing arts! Because of the pandemic IBT Academy has suffered significant financial losses (please read the detailed explanation below!) and is now in a difficult situation, facing a very real possibility of permanent closure. 

As a proud graduate of IBT, I would be absolutely heartbroken if this top-level classical ballet institution where I spent 10 happy years of my ballet student life were to close.

I owe IBT much of my success: it was there that along with rigorous ballet training I have also learned discipline, determination, hard work, professionalism, time management skills and many more invaluable lessons I will be applying in my future career and life in general. It was also there that I gained best friends for life and made real connections within my community and beyond. 

I am asking you to please donate whatever you can to help me with this cause! 

And please read on as I’d like to explain the challenges the school is now facing! 

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, because of the strict lockdown restrictions all of IBT Academy’s ballet performances normally open to the general public had to be cancelled. The school’s survival very much depends on the ticket revenue from these performances. In 2020 the following performances had to be cancelled despite of so much work and rehearsing that went into them: 

• two evenings of the annual Multicultural Dance Festival cancelled in March 2020,

• as the lockdown continued, four shows of the annual Spring Gala were cancelled too, 

• then, in December 2020, because of the new PA lockdown enforced on Friday, December 11th, IBT was just forced to cancel five amazing shows of its annual full-length Nutcracker, a tradition upheld for 29 years straight!

In these extraordinarily difficult times ballet students need IBT Academy more that ever! The school provides a sense of normalcy and continues to offer an outlet for artistic expression in this crazy uncertain world. 

This cause is so important and personal to me! Please know that no donation is too small and please share this message with all who care about culture!

Thank you! 
Julie