Dancer Alexa Julian could have chosen personal birthday gifts, which for a dancer usually means new leotards or tights, a dance bag or a new pair of pointe shoes.

Carmel, CA, March 12, 2019 — Dancer Alexa Julian could have chosen personal birthday gifts, which for a dancer usually means new leotards or tights, a dance bag or a new pair of pointe shoes. Instead, she chose to honor her birthday by honoring her first passion, dance.

Through personal notes and social media posts to friends and family, for her birthday, Julian requested donations to Dance Kids of Monterey County, a nonprofit youth theatrical organization that the 15-year-old has been dancing with for six years.

She was able to donate a check for $231 to Dance Kids. She has danced in Dance Kids’ renowned “Nutcracker” ballet since she was 9 years old. Her instructors/coaches have included Philip Pegler, Sandra Burnham, Ashley Rutherford and Amanda Casas.

Julian excels in jazz and contemporary styles of movement, yet her emphasis on classical ballet finds this otherwise typical teenager in the Carmel Academy of Performing Arts dance studios, seven days a week and often more than five hours a day.

One week before her birthday, Alexa placed second overall in her performance of classical ballet variation from the ballet, “Giselle” and the variation called the “third shade” from “La Bayadere,” a ballet first performed in 1877 in St. Petersburg, Russia with choreography by Marius Petipa. She placed in the top 12 for her contemporary dance “McQueen,” an homage to Alexander McQueen, the late British fashion designer and couturier in the House of Givenchy, at the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Competition.

She has been invited to participate in the final competition of YAGP in New York City. As many gifted young people must learn, life is a series of choices. Alexa also garnered a coveted space in the summer intensive at the Paris Opera Ballet as well as the International Ballet Master Classes, held at the Czech National Ballet in Prague. Paris and Prague have taken precedence over New York. She leaves midsummer for the dance intensives many only can dream of attending.

Although only 15 and a pre-professional dancer on her first steps to a career, she chose to honor an organization promoting the arts to young people and to help others, even on her special day!

About Dance Kids

With over 24 years of production history, Dance Kids of Monterey County, a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization founded by Richmond, is proud of its wide range of theatrical experience that support the youth of the Monterey Peninsula. In the early days, productions at the Carmel Ballet Academy included “Nutcracker” and original spring musicals written by Walt de Faria and a full-length spring ballet, produced at Sunset Center.

Dance Kids was known for fun-loving nostalgia surrounding the musical and drew from the community a range of young people and their families committed to theater. As it grew, its little venue could not handle the “Nutcracker” any longer, but continued at the venue for the spring musicals, until those too, outgrew the dance studio. “Nutcracker” moved to Sunset Center in 1995 and has remained there as its home venue except for the years the center was being remodeled.

Dance Kids “Nutcracker” has grown into a premier production eagerly awaited by cast and community. The original vision of Dance Kids of Monterey County has been honored as well as surpassed in the ensuing years. This year is one of pivotal change and growth.

Street Address:

Sunset Center, Cottage #17

San Carlos Street at 10th Ave.,

Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 6225

Carmel, CA 93921

Phone: (831) 622-9008

Fax: (831) 218-1293

Email: info@dancekids.org

Website: dancekids.org

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.dancekids.org