Help send Darby to perform in Italy :)

Hello! My name is Darby, and I'm here to fundraise for an amazing opportunity that has been offered to the five dancers in our ensemble "In The Water." We are honored to have been invited to the Nervi Music Ballet Festival in Genoa, Italy this coming July. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in which we have been asked to reprise our performance in the Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala presented as part of Youth Grand Prix. This is the first time Youth Grand Prix is joining in the world-renowned Nervi Festival in showcasing American dancers-in-training alongside principal artists from top US and international companies. I am amazed and excited about this incredible surprise opportunity, but as you can imagine, last-minute travel to Italy is an investment and I will need your help to get there!

I'd like to share (as briefly as I can) about how I got to this place in my dance journey. As I mentioned above, I train in a pre-professional program at Classical Dance Academy in Corona, CA and compete as part of an ensemble team. I've been dancing for 13 years under the direction of Elizabeth Molak-Huebner, formerly a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, with a focus on ballet and contemporary. I know that no matter how old I get or where I go, dance and classical ballet will always be a big part of my life.

Competition-wise, my studio participates in a worldwide ballet competition called YAGP or Youth America Grand Prix, the world's largest ballet scholarship competition. We compete solos, duos and ensembles, and recently we came back from a very rewarding week at Finals in Tampa, Florida! The piece in the picture above and on the cover, "In The Water" received placement in the Top 12 ensembles. Before awarding us with Top 12, we were invited to participate in the competition's "Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow" Gala. It was a great honor, and you can read a little bit about in in the caption of the picture below.

After coming home from Finals, and watching the awards ceremony, we were almost certain that nothing more special could happen, but we were proven wrong by an email from YAGP asking us to participate in the Nervi Festival in Genoa, Italy! With little time to plan, it's not something that we budgeted for, but I am grateful to my family who is helping me make this a reality. Traveling to Italy - where our ancestors are originally from - has always been a dream for me, but to be given the chance to perform there is beyond my wildest dreams! If you are able to contribute to our travel and expense fund, I would be forever grateful. (And for those of you who are able to give $50 or more, I will send you a special postcard from Italy, so please make sure I have your address and everyone, follow my adventures on Instagram!)

Thank you for your support!

Darby :)
@darbinaballerina