Founded in 2019, the goal of Project Pointe is to more fully support dancers of constrained means, by alleviating the cost of pointe shoes and other performance-related supplies, thereby further enhancing efforts to expose youth from all walks to the pleasures and beauty of classical ballet, and to assist in diversifying the professional ballet pipeline. 

A first-year corps dancer requires two pairs of pointe shoes for each production. CU Ballet presents two major productions each year—The Nutcracker in the winter, and another full classical ballet in the spring—and this performance schedule dictates a minimum of four pairs of pointe shoes per year for each young corps dancer, excluding any further need that may be created by rehearsal and dance instruction. The older and more experienced dancer (age 15-18) requires a pair of pointe shoes each month—an expense of $80 to $120 a pair—and, for the safety of the dancer, must be selected to fit the unique structure of each dancer’s foot. The more advanced the dancer, the more demanding the roles, the more pointe shoes needed. 

Help a dancer “en pointe” by donating to CU Ballet’s Project Pointe 

Champaign Urbana Ballet is a not-for-profit organization, and contributions are tax-deductible.