Help Nicci achieve her dancing goals
"Dancing has been my passion and calling for as long as I can remember, and a future without dance is not one I’d like to settle for."
Nicola Tolmay, 19, is asking her community for financial assistance so that she can travel to New York to attend the Summer School of Excellence at the American Academy of Ballet from July 2 to 29 this year.
For the past 16 years, Nicci, as her friends refer to her, has been a committed dancer.
“Since I began ballet at the age of four, my love and passion for dancing have only continued to grow. Ballet is only a small part of my passion for dancing; since I was 14 years old, I’ve also studied modern dancing, and more recently, lyrical acrobatics.”
After years of effort and commitment, Nicci can now proudly declare that she passed the final advanced exam for the modern major in the Association of International Dance Teachers (AIDT) with a distinction of 93%. She intends to pass both her final Royal Academy of Dance advanced 2 ballet exam and her modern solo performance exam this year.
“In addition to my love and passion for dancing, I have also developed a love and passion for teaching. In 2022, I obtained my first qualification by completing my level one AIDT modern teaching certificate, meaning that I am qualified to teach from pre-grade to third-grade modern. In addition to obtaining my certifications for the remaining modern levels, I also want to become certified to instruct ballet. I started working at my current studio, Dance Solutions, last year while I was getting my certification, watching classes and filling in when necessary to teach ballet and modern,” Nicci articulated.
This year, she will study part-time while also teaching a few classes at Dance Solutions and teaching ballet at Eagle Canyon.
“I am currently pursuing a dance teaching career. After years of hard work and dedication, however, the opportunity to advance my dancing career has finally presented itself. I was chosen to attend the American Academy of Ballet Summer School of Excellence in 2023 after auditioning in November of last year. Fortunately, I was privileged enough to be awarded a 25% scholarship to attend the course by the American Academy,” Nicci exclaimed.
However, due to her present economic circumstances, Nicci does not have the necessary funds to attend summer school. Given how much bigger the dance industry is in other countries, being able to attend this course will open up so many doors for her, not only as a dancer but also as a teacher.
“This incredible opportunity will allow me to learn from world-renowned experts, which will improve my dance skills, reputation as a dancer, and, most importantly, knowledge as a dance teacher. I hope to bring back the knowledge and skills I learned and apply them to my dancing as well as to my students. Dancing has been my passion and calling for as long as I can remember, and a future without dance is not one I’d like to settle for,” added Nicci.
With this message in mind, Nicci humbly requests any donations, fearing that she will be unable to achieve her goal without the assistance of charitable individuals.
“Every single cent helps me get one step closer to realising my dreams. It would mean everything to me if I could pursue this opportunity wholeheartedly. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated,” concluded Nicci.
To help donate towards Nicci’s dancing dreams readers can click on her PayPal link at https://www.paypal.me/NicolaTolmay/.
