Zoe's ABT Summer Intensive

My name is Zoe Birdsong, and I am a 13-year-old ballerina.  I am determined to become a professional ballerina, and  follow in the footsteps of my idol, Misty Copeland, as well as so many other beautiful ballerinas of color.


This summer, I was accepted into the American Ballet Theater's Summer Intensive Program (ABT)!! 



Before I tell you about that, I want to tell you a little more about my journey:

Last year I auditioned for, and was accepted into the Los Angeles Ballet Company's Summer Intensive Program .  My family couldn't afford the fees, so I created a GoFundMe campaign.  It was a success due to the generosity and support of so many friends, family, and people I'd never met before,  who wanted to see me achieve my dreams! 

I trained from morning to night for 5 weeks in Los Angeles, as an 11-year-old away from home for the first time ever!  The advanced training I received via LABSC took  my dancing to a new level, something I couldn't have done without attending this program. 

After attending LABSC, I achieved a dream I'd had since I was 3-years-old and first saw "The Nutcracker" with my mom and grandparents at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC:  I won the role of "Clara" with the 4S Dance Academy's production of "The Nutcracker"!  It was so exciting to take on a popular and beloved role, and magical to have so many little girls approach me after the performance, wanting to grow up to do what I was doing! 



Shortly after my run as Clara, my mom bought my family tickets to see Misty Copeland perform as "Clara" in the Segerstrom Center for the Arts performance of "The Nutcracker".  I MET MISTY COPELAND!!! SHE HUGGED ME, AND SIGNED MY POINTE SHOES!!   It was the happiest, most amazing moment in my life as a young woman and dancer of color.



This summer, I will be attending ABT's Summer Intensive Program.  It will be 3 weeks of receiving dance instruction from prestigious members of ABT.  I'm excited about how far this elite program can take me, but I need your help to get there.  I need to raise $3,705 to attend the 3 week ABT Summer Intensive Program.


ANY DONATION, $1, $5, $10, $20...ANYTHING IS APPRECIATED!  PLEASE SHARE my GoFundMe link with anyone you know that loves supporting The Arts! 

Now that I'm savvier with social media, you can follow me on this page, and Instagram, where I will be doing daily updates on "A Day In The Life Of A Summer Intensive"!

THANK YOU, AND STAY POSTED!!