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OUTSIDE THE BOX: UNUSUAL TIMES -> REMARKABLE INGENUITY

Each spring, Columbia Dance depends on $20,000 being raised at our fundraiser to support student scholarships and other program expenses. Last year, we had 99 donors. And this year, more than a dollar amount, our goal is to increase the number of donors to 135 to represent the 135 students at our studio. We encourage gifts of any amount! $20 gifts can add up to $1,000, and $50 to $5,000, and if 135 people give $150, that's over $20,000!

This month marks the 2nd anniversary since the start of the pandemic, and Columbia Dance is still committed more than ever to our studio families. In 2021, after months on zoom, we returned to offering in-person classes. The studio atmosphere has been full of laughter and smiles, even behind the masks. Our students are not only feeling connection and comradery again, but an eagerness to challenge themselves and take on new opportunities.

Spring marked our annual Ballet Alliance Festival, but in 2021 it went virtual. Our budding choreographers submitted their works via video to be viewed by their peers around the country and we all tuned in for a much-needed mental health webinar. Once again, our students could have bemoaned this poor substitute for the usual Festival, but instead they summoned their integrity and presented their very best selves to their virtual instructors. They kept on dancing.

Last June, we finally had the live audience we craved for our Spring Showcase. We rented a stage and performed in a vineyard. The "dressing room" was a barn, the stage was too small, and the weather was uncooperative with a steady downpour. And yet, none of that kept these kids down. They kept on dancing!

In December, we premiered Act 1 of our Fort Vancouver-inspired Nutcracker. When we began work on our new Nutcracker in July, we had no idea if we would be able to perform for an audience. These dancers had dug deep to continue on their artistic path when there were no outside motivators to cheer them along. But thankfully, the theater was a go! To see our dancers finally step onstage (in masks) and bask in the stage lights was breathtaking. The production was received with great enthusiasm by our audiences and we can't wait to premier Act 2 in 2022.

THANK YOU!

Thank you for joining us for Outside the Box. 'Like' our page, share on Facebook and help spread the word! Your donation will allow us to reassure our community that we are committed to providing a space for children to dance and fuel their healthy bodies and minds.

As we continue into 2022, we'd also like to express our appreciation for supporting our dancers. Whether you drove them to class each week, helped do their performance hair, volunteered at Nutcracker, attended a performance, sent a donation, or tuned in to a livestream at home . . . thank you! You have validated that the work they do is meaningful. Art is meant to inspire and we hope that today's fundraiser brings as much inspiration to you as these children constantly bring to us!

*A special thank you to push/FOLD dance company for volunteering their time and donating the use of their audio/visual equipment for filming.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Coming soon!

Outside the Box

An annual fundraiser by Columbia Dance. Watch the live video below!

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