Marblehead, MA -- The North Shore Civic Ballet (NSCB) announces LEO, Inc., a nonprofit organization headquartered in Lynn, Massachusetts, was awarded scholarships for two students to attend the Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB) in Marblehead, Massachusetts. 

The North Shore Civic Ballet, a not-for-profit dance company based in Marblehead, provides support and opportunities for aspiring dancers to attend the Marblehead School of Ballet.  The NSCB and The Ruth N. Shiff Memorial Fund’s supporters provided the funding for the scholarships in partnership with the Marblehead School of Ballet for students unable to afford the tuition to study ballet.
 
“This year, the North Shore Civic Ballet and the Marblehead School of Ballet are thrilled to sponsor two children from LEO to participate in the school’s Creative Movement classes!  We know what a positive influence dance can have and being able to share that with a child, who might not have had the opportunity otherwise, is a gift to us, said Adora Maharaj, a member of North Shore Civic Ballet’s board of directors.
  
“Our school is a place where students can build confidence by learning to express themselves through movement in a safe and supportive environment.  We want to thank LEO for allowing us to share our joy of dance, and we welcome them to our family.”

LEO Inc.’s mission is to strengthen the Greater Lynn community through resources and services that provide opportunities for children, families and individuals to thrive.  The organization, one of the largest providers of early education and care in southern Essex County, Massachusetts, offers Head Start and Early Head Start programs for children from birth to age 5. 

"LEO is thrilled with the generosity extended to our community by the North Shore Civic Ballet and the Marblehead School of Ballet.  It takes a special program to recognize the difference scholarship opportunities make for families who want to provide the best for their children, but do not have the additional funds for enrichment activities.  Our girls look forward to their classes and enjoy an activity that provides friendship and healthy movement in a setting where they feel cared for and appreciated.  This connection is a bright spot for LEO!  Thank you!" said Birgitta S. Damon, CEO, LEO.

Dance Brings People Together

The Marblehead School of Ballet and the North Shore Civic Ballet’s annual winter clothing holiday drive has collaborated with LEO for three years collecting new pajamas to help the organization’s young children.  “We have been the recipients of kindness from the Marblehead School of Ballet and the North Shore Civic Ballet for years, in the form of new pajamas around the holidays.  Never did we think we would become part of their ballet family!  Reaching out to our community and patiently fostering friendships with our students and families means the world to us and to them! said Julie Danahy Hebeisen, Communications Manager, LEO.

“Dance is the great equalizer.  A child can enter a studio and move regardless of financial status, language ability, or past trauma.  Dance heals and gives a child a place to feel free for an hour!  MSB is doing something impactful for LEO; we are very grateful.”

The school’s programs attract dancers from the United States and abroad.  MSB graduates have continued their dance studies at some of the most prestigious ballet companies worldwide, including Eliot Field, Alvin Ailey, Houston Ballet, Metropolitan Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Ballet de Lorraine in France, among others.

Alumni have graduated from leading postsecondary institutions, such as Boston Conservatory, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University North Carolina School for the Arts, University of Utah, and others and they pursued careers in a range of fields globally.  Graduates have pursued careers in a range of fields from dance to medicine with ballet and modern dance companies, musical theatre, corporations, hospitals, schools, universities, and others as dancers, teachers, choreographers, directors, and arts administrators and doctors, among others.

For more information about the Marblehead School of Ballet and the North Shore Civic Ballet, call 781-631-6262 or visit the organizations online at www.marbleheadschoolofballet.com and http://marbleheadschoolofballet.com/ballet/the-company/.