Help OBT Support Ukrainian Refugee Ballet Dancers
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Ozark Ballet TheaterOzark Ballet Theater wants to show Ukrainian refugee artists the generosity and kindness of NWA!
$605
raised by 8 people
Back to 3! Timing critical!
Hello Donors! Quick update! A third dancer whom we hadn't heard from in a couple of weeks got back in touch and is STILL IN NEED! We are back to three dancers and he may arrive as soon as next week. We still need to raise money to cover their living needs and help them help their families back home! We are running out of time. Please share this fundraiser to everyone you know who might help and lets get this thing moving! As a reminder ALL money raised will be paid directly to the dancers.
Ozark Ballet Theater is seeking financial assistance to house 3 Ukrainian refugee dance artists in Northwest Arkansas.
Ozark Ballet Theater Artistic Director Katie Stasse was trained by dancers from the National Opera from Kyiv, Ukraine. Without the knowledge, kindness and patience of these dancers, Ozark Ballet Theater would simply not exist. Throughout the years Katie and Executive Director David Sanders have each danced with dozens of amazing Ukrainian artists. When the war started Ozark Ballet Theater wasted no time reaching out to our contacts and offering what help we can to those suffering worldwide from this senseless act of violence.
We have been contacted by three dancers who were on tour in the USA when the war started. Their tour ends April 9th, after that they have no where to go. Evgeny, Pavel, and Kirill are world-class athletes and artists. They need a place to train and perform so they can support their families back home. Ozark Ballet Theater hopes to make NWA that place!
The Mount Sequoyah Center where OBT currently operates a small dance studio has been kind enough to offer housing for at least 1 month to each of these men. This is ideal as it will provide them access to our studio as well as close access to downtown Fayetteville.
Ozark Ballet Theater is organizing a benefit concert for Ukrainian artists utilizing these dancers alongside our professional guest artists. - Currently, we only have the room in our budget to provide contracted employment to one of these artists for one month.
We are seeking money to help these artists settle in to NWA and support them while they train and perform with us and look for dance work. Given their housing needs are taken care of we hope to raise $12,000 to completely cover their living costs for up to 3 months. The first $9,000 will go directly in to the hands of the dancers with the additional $3,000 (if realized) helping us offset the cost of the benefit gala, from which all proceeds will go to helping Ukrainian national artists affected by the war.
We believe that when facing the enormous helplessness of a situation like the war in Ukraine, all acts of generosity, acceptance and kindness are a righteous act of protest against war, destruction, and hate. Please help us do our part to help Ukraine.