Young Dancer Chooses to Pay it Forward on her Birthday, In Lieu of Gifts, Making A Donation to Dance Kids of Monterey County 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-yearold 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