 |
||||
    
|
Newsroom December's Charity of the Month: Ballet Legere
Research indicates that students who participate in the arts demonstrate improved academic performance and lower dropout rates. Ballet Legere is an Illinois-based nonprofit organization committed to promoting the cultural value of theater arts to underserved communities through its annual production of “The Nutcracker Ballet.” This year the MDRT Foundation awarded a $2,500 Quality of Life grant to help fund the cost of the “The Nutcracker Ballet” 2007 performance on behalf of the volunteerism of Louis F. Venuso, CLU, ChFC, a 37-year MDRT member and Silver Knight from Elmwood Park, Illinois. Each year students and professional theater staff spend months preparing for this professional ballet production. The performances take place in December, at the historic Chodl Auditorium in Cicero, Illinois. A number of shows are performed free-of-charge for children from low-income communities who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend a performance of this caliber. Ballet Legere audiences enjoy a production that includes decorative costumes, elaborate stage designs and exciting special effects. The cast of more than 100 also includes children who play the roles of sugar plum fairies and mice and toy soldiers, in a classic production that has been entertaining people during the holidays for more than 20 years. |
|||
|
|
|||
