Support My Journey to Vaganova’s RMB Winter Ballet Intensive

Dear Supporters and future sponsors,

My name is Sascha and I am writing to reach those who would like to support me on the next stage of my journey dedicated to the art and beauty of ballet.

Early this summer, my previous appeal was met with great success. With your support, I was able to overcome the financial limitations that stood in the way of taking a crucial turning point in my ballet journey and attending the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy’s official Russian Masters Ballet summer camp. At which, I was granted by my teachers and the director of the programme, Asiya Lukmanova, an award in recognition for having excelled in both classical and character dance.

I have now been selected for RMB's Winter Ballet Intensive which will be held for two weeks in the heart of Spain, Madrid, from the end of December to the beginning of January. Places are strictly limited to sixteen per age group, thus I am very privileged to be approved for my participation.

I aspire to graduate from the renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, Russia — the most prestigious ballet academy of the world, associate school of the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre, and academy of greats such as Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Diana Vishneva and Altynai Asylmuratova. Therefore, it is a great honour to be considered a continuing student of RMB. By attending their winter course, I am following the momentum of the summer and taking the step to most likely be granted a scholarship for this unparalleled opportunity, worthy of all the effort of not only myself and my mother, but also the generosity of my previous supporters.

I truly cannot thank my supporters enough for all the support they gave in the summer, for without them I would not be where I am now. Even the photos of this fundraiser are as a result of the generosity shared on my previous fundraiser!

I benefitted and developed tremendously from this year’s summer camp, and received very supportive and promising feedback from my teachers. For this reason, I am eager to continue learning from the programme's elite training.

I have created this appeal during a very challenging time when my single-parent mother and I find ourselves unexpected needing to make plans to leave our family home of sixteen years. Not only has this been very disheartening, financially it has added immense strain to my ability to attend this winter intensive. Despite this, I cannot miss this opportunity at this pivotal point in my ballet training, should I wish to achieve ballet professionally. Without your support, I will have to let this aspiration go.

For all new supporters, please read below the details that were included in my previous fundraiser for you to have a sense of my background:

— “My journey with ballet has not come easy and has involved many sacrifices to stay on course. My single-parent mother has supported me tirelessly, forfeiting our family holidays for many years to fund my ballet training, but as the ballet path extends, the more financially demanding it becomes and now it has gone beyond her capabilities. Yet, despite the constant strain, we have never wanted to give up the beauty of the art form and remained determined to continue.”

— “Ballet itself is already an incredibly demanding artistic sport and requires the utmost dedication and passion from its dancers, so the added strain of financial limitation makes the elite sport almost impossible to achieve.”

— “I have always thrived on challenge and aspired to be trained by teachers with the highest standards, and this opportunity opens the doors to fulfil this desire...The only thing holding me back is the many expenses involved to be there.”

Along with the training, RMB has arranged an incredible cultural programme, where students such as myself will be taken to explore the rich culture of Madrid and attend a live professional ballet performance to develop ourselves as artists.

I have created this appeal to be able to financially pursue this next opportunity. Without your support, my single-parent mother and I will not be able to fund this training intensive.

I have only a week to raise the 50% deposit of the tuition and RMB’s arranged accommodation/cultural programme to secure my place, thus this appeal comes with great haste!

• Half of tuition for the full two-week programme = 500€

• Half of accommodation and Madrid cultural programme = 623€

— — TOTAL = 1,123€ = est. £959

First goal to reach by 11th October, 2024 = £1,000 (ACHIEVED)

(Includes GoFundMe fees, currency exchange and int. transfer)

We have until 10 December 2024 to raise the remaining balance of the tuition and accommodation/cultural programme, thus making the second goal as described below:

Second goal to reach by 8th December = £2,000

(Includes GoFundMe fees, currency exchange and int. transfer)

As my third target, I have described all the additional necessary expenses for me to attend listed below:

• My flights + transfers from the UK to Madrid = £500

• Travel & medical insurance = £100

• Pointe shoes x 2 = £180

• Additional ballet essentials, such as soft shoes, tights, character shoes, etc. = est. £100

• Pocket money = £75

— — TOTAL = £955

Third goal to reach by 10th December = £2,990

(Includes GoFundMe fees, currency exchange and int. transfer)

I have included, as my final goal, a series of online private lessons, offered by RMB with their elite teachers, to invest in my training so as to further enhance my prospects of winning a scholarship. The last time I took one of these lessons, I improved so much from the detailed coaching that I believe it was a significant factor for my successful summer course audition. I would be very grateful to have the possibility to reap the same benefits before attending the winter course.

• Package of 5, 1.5hrs classes = 300€

Fourth goal to reach before the winter course = £3,270

(Includes GoFundMe fees, currency exchange and int. transfer)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my appeal. I now invite you to visit my Instagram profile to have a deeper sense of who I am as an artist. Via the link you will find more photos and videos of my dancing and my experience this summer: https://www.instagram.com/artiste.enpointe/

I will endeavour to give updates on the progress of this fundraiser but, for the moment, thank you so much for your support.

In anticipation,

Sascha Rose