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Proud to Show What Our AZ Autism Charter School Students CAN Do!!!
Every day, our committed employees work to support the community we serve. Now, they need our help. Our organization is committed to ensuring that our employees are able to maintain financial stability and provide day-to-day necessities for their families during the coronavirus crisis. We bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students at their schools, in their classrooms. But due to COVID outbreak, Arizona schools are now mandated to close through the end of the school year and out employees have lost their source of income. Their situation is further aggravated by the Stay-At-Home order issued for the state of Arizona. Our organization’s most urgent goal is to retain our highly qualified and specially trained personnel, who work with children with autism. Such personnel is rare to find and costly to train and retain. Under normal circumstances, our professionals are long-term committed to the program – however if we lose them because of the COVID-19 disaster, it would be virtually impossible to reinstate the program. Retaining our personnel is critical not only to the existence of the program, but also to the ultimate recipient – children with autism in a school set-up. We kindly ask that you join us in supporting our dedicated employees. Your gift will help provide immediate financial support so they can purchase essential food, medicines, and other supplies. Help keep our employees safe and healthy so they can eventually return to their work serving our community.
INVEST IN US! Let me share why you should invest in us. We are a small 501(c)(3) non-profit and we bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students, at their schools, in their classrooms with the highest level of instruction! We make the art of ballroom dance affordable and accessible to all students, especially for those that are low income and at risk. This year, for the first time in Arizona we are bringing the benefits of ballroom dance to 230 K-12 students with autism at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools. It is Arizona's Only Autism-Focused Tuition-Free Charter public school. Students enrolled at this school are on the autism spectrum with varying degrees of intellectual/developmental disabilities. AZ Autism Charter School serves over 40% low income students. 15% of the students are African-American,1% American Indian, 5% - Asian, 51% - Hispanic and 28% white. The ballroom dance experience at the school is part of the students’ project-based life skills curriculum. Many studies and research findings have supported the positive implication of dance therapy to people with autism. We are at the school 4 days /week, delivering 40 ballroom dance classes every week. The impact of ballroom dance that we see is INCREDIBLE, especially with the highest impacted students! We take so many things for granted, including the ability to move, speak, coordinate our body and socialize. Our students need to learn all this, and the art of ballroom dance is helping them tremendously. These students enjoy, love and thrive in our classes. Until our program, they had no such opportunity available to them, alone an opportunity to express themselves in public and show what they CAN do. Please help us get the full $3,000 match by making your tax-deductible donation today. The funds will be used for rehearsals and extended support during their public event performances. This is an unprecedented commitment toward these students with special needs. They want and need to show to the public what they CAN do. This is the first of such successful efforts in Arizona! These students need your support! Say "YES" to them! We are their HOPE! All #AzGivesDay donations are *tax-deductible and will go toward rehearsals and extended support during their public event performances. Please help us get the full $3,000 match by making your tax-deductible donation today. THANK YOU! We are sincerely grateful for those who support our mission and enable us to bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students with special needs, at their schools, in their classrooms. www.azgives.org/DanceSportEducation *The $2 trillion stimulus package includes the Charitable Giving Incentive, which lifts the existing cap on annual contributions for those who itemize, raising it from 60 percent of adjusted gross income to 100 percent. For corporations, the bill raises the annual limit from 10 percent to 25 percent. Elka Hristova Co-Founder and Director DanceSport Education
The 9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA hosted by Imperial Ballroom Dance Center and DanceSport Education, was held on December 8, 2019 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. “This year’s event was incredible. We are thankful for all who donated, and the 300+ people who attended and supported the event and DanceSport Education’s mission.” said event co-host Inna Berlizyeva. “At DanceSport Education, we are very proud of our partnership with Arizona Autism Charter Schools! 230 K-12 students with autism with all range of abilities attending the school, receive 10 ballroom dance lessons daily from our world-class ballroom dance professionals year-round. This is an unprecedented, pioneer effort in Arizona and the US! We are bringing the research and the benefits of ballroom dance to the students with autism at their school, in their classrooms!” said co-founder Elka Hristova. Artem Plakhotnyi, top world class dancesport competitor and event host, emceed the event and was our distinguished on-stage voice for the evening. Gala’s honorary guest Paul Holmes, former British National, UK National and US National Ballroom Dance Champion, and US representative of Freed of London, the world-famous dance shoemaker, announced the sponsorship of two of Imperial’s finest professional ballroom dance couples – Oleg and Michelle and Ivan and Alissa during 2020 and noted: “Our decision to support their dancesport career is not only based on the fact that they are young, rising star professionals, but also that they carry out the mission of DanceSport Education in creating an AMAZING impact in the lives of 230 students at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools.” We were honored to have one of the most prominent Arizona leaders, Diana Diaz-Harrison as the keynote speaker at the 2019 Gala. Diana Diaz is the lead founder and CEO of Arizona Autism Charter Schools, the first autism focused tuition-free public school in Arizona. She is responsible for the expansion of the arts program at the school and bringing the life-long benefits of ballroom dance to ALL students at the school in partnership with DanceSport Education and Imperial Ballroom Dance Company. Diana Diaz-Harrison is the heart and soul of the school. She shared her personal passionate story of starting the school and how the daily participation in ballroom dance is positively impacting ALL 230 students with autism at the Arizona Autism Charter Schools. She praised highly the AMAZING work of Ivan, Alisa, Oleh and Michelle at the school. Diana’s “Dream with Me” tango marked the ending of her speech. The Gala guests enjoyed an amazing kid only ballroom dance theater production “We are the World”, with an unprecedented participation of students from Arizona Autism Charter Schools. They were treated to a state-of-the-art show by Imperial Ballroom’s world-class professionals and top-rated students from the studio.
DanceSport Education has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts , an agency of the State of Arizona. The grant was one of 216 grants awarded for Fiscal Year 2020, representing a total investment of $2,463,000 in nonprofit arts organizations across the state. The grant will support DanecSport Education's work over the coming year to bring the benefits of ballroom dance to the students, at their schools in their classrooms! In accordance with the Arts Commission’s strategic plan and governing statutes, schools and nonprofit arts organizations are awarded grants based on such factors as community investment, quality of programming, fiscal ingenuity and responsible stewardship of public funds. Grant applications are reviewed within rigorous panel processes which are open to applicants as well as the broader public. Review panels are led by Governor-appointed Commissioners and are composed of diverse community leaders, volunteer experts, educators and arts practitioners from rural, urban and suburban areas throughout Arizona. We are so exited to be recognized by the Arizona Commission on the Arts as a valued partner, dedicated to serving the community through the arts, and striving to ensure that more children and youth in Arizona can experience the many benefits of the art of ballroom dance at their schools, in their classrooms!! We need your financial support to leverage those grant funds and continue and expand our program at the schools! Please, support our efforts to make the art of ballroom dance and its many benefits affordable and accessible for the children and youth in Arizona! DanceSport Education, an Arizona Non-Profit LLC (Tax I.D.: 81-5046738), is a fully owned subsidiary of Collaborative Research Institute (Tax I.D. 41-2082159), a Non-Profit Tax-Exempt organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The 9th Annual Masquerade Ball GALA , held at the beautiful Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch , is a signature, black-tie fundraising GALA benefiting DanceSport Education, an Arizona not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to impact the lives of children and youth through ballroom dance, and to support young talent. We are proud to bring ballroom dance to the children and youth of Arizona - at their schools, in their classrooms! Join us for an unforgettable evening! Ladies and gentlemen, get your beautiful gowns and tuxedos, grab your masks, and come enjoy an evening of elegance, delicious food, champagne, and a great show. Try your dance moves on the GALA open dance floor! EVENT HOSTS : Imperial Ballroom Dance Company and DanceSport Education . MASTER OF CEREMONY : Artem Plakhotnyi , our favorite world-class ballroom dance professional, Imperial Ballroom's owner and DanceSport Education Co-Founder will MC the event. KEYNOTE SPEAKER : Diana Diaz-Harrison , lead founder and CEO of Arizona Autism Charter Schools , the first autism focused public school in Arizona. She is recognized with The Rosa Carrillo Torres Humanitarian Award for her significant humanitarian efforts and contributions to the community, at the Profiles of Success 2019 Hispanic Leadership Awards. She is also recognized with the Women Achievers of Arizona Award, for her work every day to make a difference in the lives of Arizonans. She is Cox Communications Arizona 2018 Latino Leader Honoree, recognized for her cultural and social contributions to our state. LIVE MUSIC: Mosaico 2.0 - Alex Hristov on acoustic guitar and Max Perrault on flute, two of Arizona's best musical talents will perform live during presentations and dinner time. Hear some of the best Latin, Jazz and Flamenco tunes. "WE ARE THE WORLD " : Enjoy an AMAZING Musical Theater Show production by Imperial Ballroom’s top students and students from Arizona Autism Charter Schools, participating in the DanceSport Education program. The show is produced by the talented Inna Berlizyeva , world-class ballroom dance professional, Imperial Ballroom's owner and DanceSport Education Co-Founder. PROFESSIONAL SHOW: Take your seat for the best professional ballroom dance show! Enjoy an incredible performance featuring Imperial Ballroom Dance Company’s professionals, as well as special top US guest professionals from around the country! Masquerade Ball Gala is our exquisite black-tie fundraiser GALA event, which will get you in a great festive mood for the upcoming holidays. Perfect for singles, couples, dancers, and anyone who just would like to dress up for a fun, entertaining night out! Kids friendly! You will not want to miss one of the most elegant parties in Scottsdale and help us raise money for a great cause - children, education and ballroom dance. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE -check out our Sponsorship Package ! Your sponsorship will directly support the critical need to increase the number of children in Arizona who engage in ballroom dance as a physical activity to build life-long healthy habits. We hope you will consider sponsoring at the Masquerade Ball GALA and join our efforts to help shape a generation of healthy and thriving children and youth! TICKETS are on sale at mbgala.dance . Last year the GALA was a SOLD-OUT event. Get your tickets early! * Tickets for the Gala are at cost. If you would like to make a donation to DanceSport Education, please, use the DONATE NOW button to get to our secure online terminal.
