At Amherst Ballet, we believe that quality dance experiences should be accessible and inclusive to all. As a non-profit arts organization committed to accessibility and inclusion, Amherst Ballet relies on a variety of funding sources, including tuition, grants, sponsorships, partnerships, and donations. When you give to Amherst Ballet, those funds have an immediate impact on our ability to:
- Build resilience, dedication, and confidence with our dancers. We take a relationship-first approach that supports building confidence, resilience, and autonomy in all of our dancers, enabling them to use this rich art form to tell their own stories and developing skills they carry well beyond the studio.
- Offer “pay-what-you-wish” performances. We believe everyone should be able to experience the magic of performance, so as of Spring 2025 we shifted our model to minimize financial barriers.
- Provide trust-based scholarships. We don’t ask our dancers for “proof” they need financial assistance; we simply offer when asked.
- Host free community events. We have on-going partnerships with local libraries, rural churches, and local non-profits to welcome more people into our community.
- Improve and maintain our facility. Our new studio supports dancers on a state of the art sprung floor, while also providing space for dancers and caregivers alike to work, socialize, and build community together.
- Repair and restore our costume collection. After over 50 years, our costumes are in need of tender loving care, from minor repairs to complete rebuilds. Performers beyond Amherst Ballet also use our costumes, which we are proud to make available on loan to local artists and performing arts organizations.
- Train, retain, and collaborate with skilled artists. From the work of our teachers and musicians to our dancers and audiences, we know that art can shape the world and must be nourished within a healthy arts ecosystem that brings professional and avocational artists and art-lovers together.
- Expand the boundaries of what it means to be an inclusive dance community. We are constantly learning frameworks for combatting systemic inequality and creating organizational policies and practices for dancers who come to us with many experiences and identities.
Our dancers are diverse in many ways and hold identities that have been traditionally excluded from the ballet world. We have full conviction that each of these dancers belong and that ballet is incomplete without them. Support Amherst Ballet and our mission to build a diverse and inclusive community of dancers and dance enthusiasts through performance, educational programming, and community partnerships.
