Every now and then someone young and fun comes across my radar as newsworthy... and well since I myself am about to begin a fundraising campaign for my own ballet study in Russia and Cuba for next year, I was more than delighted to help out with Michael Mengden's quest to train at the fabulous Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia for the next academic year.
As many of you are aware, The Bolshoi Ballet Academy is one of the world's most prestigious training centers in the world, having trained so many of the world's finest dancers. In fact, if you were to name any one dancer whom the general public might know, you could probably guess that they graduated from the Bolshoi. Just to give you an idea, here is a list of only a handful of graduates, any of whom you can google and see the fantastic achievements they have been able to make due to their training:
It has been only recently that the academy has opened itself up to accept foreign students, and as such the competition for entrance is fierce -- with dancers from around the world vying for terribly few placements.
Nevertheless, Michael Mengden, a junior in high school at the American School in Houston, Texas just completed AND PASSED A SIX WEEK AUDITION (can you imagine a 42 day audition?!!!). One of five children with a passion for classical ballet, his dream is to of course become a professional dancer. That said, a huge step for Michael to achieve this dream would be the ability to attend the academy -- an opportunity which now depends solely depends upon his ability to raise the monies to go. With the yearly tuition, room and board being $13,500, and round-trip airfare being $2,500.00, Michael has begun an online campaign to raise $16,500 which will fully pay for his training, as well as a few incidentals which can quickly add up.
As Michael points out in his plea online for funding, his journey to Russia serves a great purpose, not only for himself but to others he may help. "In the future through my experiences and knowledge, I will be able to impart on to the next generation the traditions in the art of classical ballet." Even our very own Ambassador to Russia points out the importance of such cultural exchange saying that "I can’t stress enough how important these exchanges are in building a strong relationship between our countries... Indirectly, they...help to undermine stereotypes.”
As Michael has said online, "I thank God for all I have been given (and) any donation to help offset these costs would be a true blessing of your generosity". And then goes on to say that "If you're unable to donate, however, I would truly appreciate a message on facebook, an email or a prayer. Any kind of help is greatly appreciated more than you will ever know".
This said, I am reaching out to you, my readers, to begin the holiday spirit of giving early. Even just $5 can go along way -- and well, if your very own dream was only a matter of money, wouldn't you hope that someone -- anyone -- would help you out?
You can make a donation on Michael's GO FUND ME Page here
You may also contact Michael directly: jtmengden@yahoo.com
And finally, become a Facebook Friend and follow his journey here
Remember: Giving Is Always In!
B.
As many of you are aware, The Bolshoi Ballet Academy is one of the world's most prestigious training centers in the world, having trained so many of the world's finest dancers. In fact, if you were to name any one dancer whom the general public might know, you could probably guess that they graduated from the Bolshoi. Just to give you an idea, here is a list of only a handful of graduates, any of whom you can google and see the fantastic achievements they have been able to make due to their training:
Boris Akimov / Nina Ananiashvili / Natalia Bessmertnova
Sergei Filin / Yekaterina Geltzer / Sofia Golovkina
Vyacheslav Gordeyev / Maria Kochetkova / Ilya Kuznetsov
Mikhail Lavrovsky / Olga Lepeshinskaya / Andris Liepa
Maris Liepa / Vladimir Malakhov / Ekaterina Maximova
Asaf Messerer / Igor Moiseyev / Mikhail Mordkin
Irek Mukhamedov / Anastasia Nabokina / Natalia Osipova
Maya Plisetskaya / Alexander Plisetski / Polina Semionova
Vasily Tikhomirov / Nikolai Tsiskaridze /
Vladimir Vasiliev / Yuri Vladimirov
It has been only recently that the academy has opened itself up to accept foreign students, and as such the competition for entrance is fierce -- with dancers from around the world vying for terribly few placements.
Nevertheless, Michael Mengden, a junior in high school at the American School in Houston, Texas just completed AND PASSED A SIX WEEK AUDITION (can you imagine a 42 day audition?!!!). One of five children with a passion for classical ballet, his dream is to of course become a professional dancer. That said, a huge step for Michael to achieve this dream would be the ability to attend the academy -- an opportunity which now depends solely depends upon his ability to raise the monies to go. With the yearly tuition, room and board being $13,500, and round-trip airfare being $2,500.00, Michael has begun an online campaign to raise $16,500 which will fully pay for his training, as well as a few incidentals which can quickly add up.
As Michael points out in his plea online for funding, his journey to Russia serves a great purpose, not only for himself but to others he may help. "In the future through my experiences and knowledge, I will be able to impart on to the next generation the traditions in the art of classical ballet." Even our very own Ambassador to Russia points out the importance of such cultural exchange saying that "I can’t stress enough how important these exchanges are in building a strong relationship between our countries... Indirectly, they...help to undermine stereotypes.”
As Michael has said online, "I thank God for all I have been given (and) any donation to help offset these costs would be a true blessing of your generosity". And then goes on to say that "If you're unable to donate, however, I would truly appreciate a message on facebook, an email or a prayer. Any kind of help is greatly appreciated more than you will ever know".
This said, I am reaching out to you, my readers, to begin the holiday spirit of giving early. Even just $5 can go along way -- and well, if your very own dream was only a matter of money, wouldn't you hope that someone -- anyone -- would help you out?
You can make a donation on Michael's GO FUND ME Page here
You may also contact Michael directly: jtmengden@yahoo.com
And finally, become a Facebook Friend and follow his journey here
Remember: Giving Is Always In!
B.
No comments :
Post a Comment