Sofia's 2023 Boston Ballet Summer Intensive

Hello, my name is Lucy Ordonez and I am the very proud mother of 12-year-old Sofia E. Zambrano. Sofia has been a ballet dancer since the age of 2. It started as a cute activity during the day through a Mommy and Me ballet class at the Chicago Park District by Lincoln Park Zoo. At the age of 5, I was encouraged by her teacher to enroll her in a more serious program where she could develop her skills, so she started taking classes at Chicago Ballet Arts (CBA), where she continues to dance. She has shown much talent and potential throughout her development as a dancer. In 2018 and 2019, she was part of the Children's Cast that performs in Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker and she is currently part of the Senior Ensemble with CBA. This year, for the first time under the advisement and encouragement of CBA's artistic director, she auditioned for a few ballet summer intensive programs; though the competition was high for all the auditions, Sofia gave it her all at each audition where she was closely judged among 30-40 other dancers. Her results came in this past weekend and she has been accepted to participate in the Boston Ballet School. This program gives her the chance to take residency and immerse herself in all things ballet for 5 weeks in the city of Boston, June 24th-July 29th. She will not only take classes to develop her technique and artistry but it will also give her the chance to learn different styles of dancing from different instructors. Sofia will also have the opportunity to begin building her little dance community outside of Chicago and get to form friendships and bonds with dancers coming from other cities across the nation. Her father, David, and I are beyond proud of all she's accomplished, not just focusing on her training and discipline in ballet but also working hard to become a high-achieving Chicago Public School student. Sofia has maintained steady grades for the past few years, all As. She was awarded Student of the Month for December 2022, and her school recently awarded her the certification for Grit, given to one student in her grade level that shows persistence, motivation, hard work and determination. For all the hard work our daughter has put in at school and ballet, we know she deserves and has earned her spot at Boston Ballet this summer. We do not want her to miss this great opportunity to train and accelerate her ballet education, but unfortunately, we find ourselves not able to fully cover the cost of the program. Tuition for the program itself is $3,480 and room and board will cost $3,700 for a grand total of $7,180. This amount is way more than we can afford and even though we will be applying for financial assistance, the amount granted is based on a comprehensive scale and cannot be guaranteed. We are asking for your help in making Sofia's summer this year in Boston possible. We hope she not only comes back with a great experience of being in a different environment that is both challenging and stimulating but also a confident and stronger dancer.