Ife's (Raeyn's) Dancin' Dreams
Donation protected
“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.”
-Rumi
My name is Ife (pronounced ee-fay). I need your help to continue my dance training. I began dancing before I could walk. At 10 months old, parked on the floor, I would jam for hours to Bob Marley and Chaka Kahn (my preferred music at the time). Once I turned 3, dance classes began and continued…until last year.
(Me)
When I am dancing, I feel alive, happy, free and more myself. When I am dancing, I do not feel worried. I feel strong and powerful. When I walk into the studio, I am greeted by organized, wonderful, invigorating chaos. Everyone is bustling around, some are in the dressing rooms, some are in the studio stretching, and some are on their cell phones. In the dressing room I prepare for class and make sure that my bun is in its proper place. I put on my ballet shoes, greet friends and get my water bottle. As I walk into the studio itself, a huge smile emerges on my face. The studio always smells like hard work and sweat to me and it makes me feel at home. I take my place at the barre and the teacher enters. She demonstrates the combination and we start with pliés. As she turns on the music we begin and I watch myself closely in the mirror to make sure my body is in alignment. Then I go into autopilot mode and my brain relaxes and my worries begin to melt away because I feel whole and free. I know that my body knows these steps even as I strive to improve with every move. Dance is my first language. I communicate the best through movement and my body knows it so well. Dance is my outlet and my refuge. Dance is a wordless way to move people to tears or to bring them a laughing joy.
(Me dancing at the beach)
Over the years, thanks to the help of my village of family and friends, I have been able to study and experience many different types of dance from classical ballet, to modern, jazz and West African dance and drumming. I have also been able to perform in professional quality shows. Up until last year, I enjoyed taking classes 3-5 days per week and performing in many great shows. After my mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, things got really difficult for me and for our family. I had a really hard time dealing with seeing my mom struggle so much.
(Me and my Mom)
Also, I have had to become the “second mom” in our house. My dad works a lot to provide for us and since my mom can’t do things that she has always done, I have had to step up a lot and take on more responsibilities. I cook dinner, help my little brother with homework, take care of the cats, make sure the trash goes out, help my mom remember where she puts things, clean up and still maintain good grades and… I tried to continue dancing. Then, in May of 2015, the stress became overwhelming. My legs stopped working. I was paralyzed from the waist down. After 2 emergency room visits, countless tests, several MRI’s and a painful spinal tap, I learned that I had what is called a “conversion disorder”. There was nothing biologically wrong with my body, but the stress and strain of my life and challenges I was facing made my body shut down. It was scary and almost surreal and it lasted for one month. One month of no walking. One month of no school. One month of wondering if I would dance again. One month of waiting to be able to move. I was 14 years old and then, like so many with conversion disorder, I woke up one Saturday morning and moved my legs. After more than 30 days of using a wheel chair and staying in my house I was able to walk with no problem. I was so thankful! Since that time, I have grown mentally, emotionally and spiritually and I am looking forward to dancing again. I have learned how to deal with my mom’s illness (and she is doing well) and take care of myself. I am learning every day. I just miss dance so much. I dance around the house to loud music even though I really long for the structure, camaraderie and challenge that formal ballet dance training provides.
I need your help to raise $1,000 to pay for the tuition and dance supplies so that I can participate in a 4 week summer dance intensive at Ballethnic dance in Atlanta, GA (June 27 – July 22, 2016). I will need to pay for the program by June 24, 2016. This will be the first time that I would be enrolled in professional level dance classes in over a year! Any additional funds that I might receive would go to help pay for dance training in the fall. The Ballethnic dance program has been around for more than 20 years and their focus on classical ballet training as well as West African, modern and other dance forms fits my vision for becoming a strong, well-rounded professional dancer. I am really excited about this opportunity because Ballethnic not only provides excellent ballet training, but also encourages and celebrates young dancers of color. This is important to me because professional ballet careers are just now becoming more attainable for dancers of color because of the tireless work, skills, and raw talent of people like Maria Tallcheif, Janet Collins, Raven Wilkinson, Michaela DePrince, Misty Copeland, Alicia Graf Mack, and many others. Also, ballet companies are realizing that if they are going to keep ballet alive they will benefit from reaching out to people who have not typically been included in ballet.
Your generous support would allow me to have the opportunity to continue training and hopefully enter into a professional dance career some day. I would be so grateful for your donation. Anything that you can share would be appreciated and really, there is no donation that is too small. Every bit helps. I plan to get a part-time job in the early fall after I turn 16 to help pay for fall classes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
-Rumi
My name is Ife (pronounced ee-fay). I need your help to continue my dance training. I began dancing before I could walk. At 10 months old, parked on the floor, I would jam for hours to Bob Marley and Chaka Kahn (my preferred music at the time). Once I turned 3, dance classes began and continued…until last year.
(Me)When I am dancing, I feel alive, happy, free and more myself. When I am dancing, I do not feel worried. I feel strong and powerful. When I walk into the studio, I am greeted by organized, wonderful, invigorating chaos. Everyone is bustling around, some are in the dressing rooms, some are in the studio stretching, and some are on their cell phones. In the dressing room I prepare for class and make sure that my bun is in its proper place. I put on my ballet shoes, greet friends and get my water bottle. As I walk into the studio itself, a huge smile emerges on my face. The studio always smells like hard work and sweat to me and it makes me feel at home. I take my place at the barre and the teacher enters. She demonstrates the combination and we start with pliés. As she turns on the music we begin and I watch myself closely in the mirror to make sure my body is in alignment. Then I go into autopilot mode and my brain relaxes and my worries begin to melt away because I feel whole and free. I know that my body knows these steps even as I strive to improve with every move. Dance is my first language. I communicate the best through movement and my body knows it so well. Dance is my outlet and my refuge. Dance is a wordless way to move people to tears or to bring them a laughing joy.
(Me dancing at the beach)Over the years, thanks to the help of my village of family and friends, I have been able to study and experience many different types of dance from classical ballet, to modern, jazz and West African dance and drumming. I have also been able to perform in professional quality shows. Up until last year, I enjoyed taking classes 3-5 days per week and performing in many great shows. After my mom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, things got really difficult for me and for our family. I had a really hard time dealing with seeing my mom struggle so much.
(Me and my Mom)Also, I have had to become the “second mom” in our house. My dad works a lot to provide for us and since my mom can’t do things that she has always done, I have had to step up a lot and take on more responsibilities. I cook dinner, help my little brother with homework, take care of the cats, make sure the trash goes out, help my mom remember where she puts things, clean up and still maintain good grades and… I tried to continue dancing. Then, in May of 2015, the stress became overwhelming. My legs stopped working. I was paralyzed from the waist down. After 2 emergency room visits, countless tests, several MRI’s and a painful spinal tap, I learned that I had what is called a “conversion disorder”. There was nothing biologically wrong with my body, but the stress and strain of my life and challenges I was facing made my body shut down. It was scary and almost surreal and it lasted for one month. One month of no walking. One month of no school. One month of wondering if I would dance again. One month of waiting to be able to move. I was 14 years old and then, like so many with conversion disorder, I woke up one Saturday morning and moved my legs. After more than 30 days of using a wheel chair and staying in my house I was able to walk with no problem. I was so thankful! Since that time, I have grown mentally, emotionally and spiritually and I am looking forward to dancing again. I have learned how to deal with my mom’s illness (and she is doing well) and take care of myself. I am learning every day. I just miss dance so much. I dance around the house to loud music even though I really long for the structure, camaraderie and challenge that formal ballet dance training provides.
I need your help to raise $1,000 to pay for the tuition and dance supplies so that I can participate in a 4 week summer dance intensive at Ballethnic dance in Atlanta, GA (June 27 – July 22, 2016). I will need to pay for the program by June 24, 2016. This will be the first time that I would be enrolled in professional level dance classes in over a year! Any additional funds that I might receive would go to help pay for dance training in the fall. The Ballethnic dance program has been around for more than 20 years and their focus on classical ballet training as well as West African, modern and other dance forms fits my vision for becoming a strong, well-rounded professional dancer. I am really excited about this opportunity because Ballethnic not only provides excellent ballet training, but also encourages and celebrates young dancers of color. This is important to me because professional ballet careers are just now becoming more attainable for dancers of color because of the tireless work, skills, and raw talent of people like Maria Tallcheif, Janet Collins, Raven Wilkinson, Michaela DePrince, Misty Copeland, Alicia Graf Mack, and many others. Also, ballet companies are realizing that if they are going to keep ballet alive they will benefit from reaching out to people who have not typically been included in ballet.
Your generous support would allow me to have the opportunity to continue training and hopefully enter into a professional dance career some day. I would be so grateful for your donation. Anything that you can share would be appreciated and really, there is no donation that is too small. Every bit helps. I plan to get a part-time job in the early fall after I turn 16 to help pay for fall classes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Organizer
Raeyn Nieves
Organizer
Raleigh, NC
