Dizzy Feet Foundation™ awards Ballet Memphis $10,000 grant for community programs

2015 grant to benefit youth programs in Frayser, South Memphis neighborhoods  

Ballet Memphis announced today that it is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from Dizzy Feet Foundation for use in community programs. Ballet Memphis will use the grant to support its work with the afterschool programs in partnership with Knowledge Quest in South Memphis and at the Leadership Empowerment Center in Frayser.  

The programs are led by Nikki Lewis, curriculum developer and teaching artist for Ballet Memphis. More than 500 youth work with Ballet Memphis through these outreach efforts.  

“We’re proud of the students we work with at Knowledge Quest and Leadership Empowerment and excited to see where Nikki can take the programs in this new year,” said Dorothy Gunther Pugh, founder and artistic director of Ballet Memphis. “It is especially rewarding to see when some of these participating students are able to take the stage alongside our professional dancers, as was the case with five students in our recent production of Nutcracker.”  

About Dizzy Feet Foundation www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org Dizzy Feet Foundation was founded in 2009 by producer Nigel Lythgoe and choreographer/director Adam Shankman, among others, to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the United States. Guided by a board representing all aspects of the American dance community, the foundation’s mission is threefold: (1) to sponsor, fund, and/or support dance education programs which expose children in low-income areas to the lifelong benefits of dance education through and with local community organizations; (2) to provide scholarships to talented students studying at accredited or nationally regarded dance schools, studios, or institutions; and (3) in conjunction with recognized credentialing organizations, to support and increase the quality of all styles of dance education in the United States.