Dear Odyssey Patron,
After 28 years of providing the community with innovative and exciting performances, Cheryl and I took a little sabbatical and are feeling re-invigorated and re-inspired. During this time, there have been no scheduled performances, but Odyssey has continued to make dance accessible with its Community Outreach Program. (Stay tuned! We are planning a full 2024-2025 season, the Company’s 30th Anniversary! Tuacahn Thriller Tickets are already on sale, and we will hold Company Auditions in April.)
It has always been a part of Odyssey’s mission to train Utah’s talented dancers, from nurturing emerging artists through Odyssey 2, our Pre-Professional Scholarship Training Program, to giving hundreds of students the opportunity to perform in our Thriller, ReduxNut-Cracker and It’s A Wonderful Life performances. Odyssey has provided live performance art access to thousands of at-risk youth in our community by donating 8,989 free tickets and delighting 7,885 with free school performances.
Dance Scholarships
As part of its Community Outreach Program, Odyssey is granting scholarships to young people who show promise but don’t have the means to continue their training.
One studio teacher said: “Our students come from Magna and families with lower socio-economic status, diverse, single parent households. We fund raise many of the dance opportunities they pursue. These aren’t kids who just grow up with the option of dance, they love it enough to make it happen.”
Afterschool Dance Classes
Odyssey is collaborating with Salt Lake County Youth Services After-school Programs to provide dance classes in schools comprised of under-served students. Enrichment focuses include Arts and Culture, a need that is currently not being met.
The programs provide youth with “a safe and positive environment that helps youth grow academically, socially and emotionally.” Their programs build prosocial opportunities that reduce risky behavior and support their success and well-being, and provide supervision during after school hours, a peak time for youth to engage in risky behaviors and juvenile crime.
As we previously have been funded 80% in ticket sales, we are now seeking funds to help underwrite the scholarships and dance classes in under-served schools.
If everyone we are e-mailing gave a one-time donation of just $35 (the lowest price you would have paid for a performance ticket), we would fund scholarships for many future generations of aspiring dancers and would be able to continue to provide amazing shows for our community for years to come.
Or even better, consider giving monthly, and you will receive monthly links to amazing Odyssey Repertoire Videos! Click here to donate monthly.
Thank you for considering, and if you have 5 minutes and $35 to support the future of Odyssey Dance Theatre and the dreams of so many young dancers, you can click below to make a donation.
Thank you, again, for all of your support! May you have safe and Happy Holidays.
Best wishes,
Derryl
P.S. Be sure to check with your employer to see if they have a Corporate Match Program and to designate Odyssey as your charity when shopping with GoodShop, and they will donate a percentage of qualifying purchases to Odyssey.
If you would like to donate, please click the “donate today” button below.
Note: contributions to Odyssey Dance Theatre Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
