Julieta Cervantes for The New York Times Students from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School performing in 2010.A $2 million grant from an anonymous donor will allow the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theater to add scholarships and broaden its training programs, Rachel Moore, the Ballet Theater’s chief executive, announced Wednesday. It is the largest gift ever made to the Manhattan-based school, according to the announcement.
Of the $2 million, up to $1 million has been pledged as part of a fund-raising effort to begin on Wednesday, called the “Friends of J.K.O. Challenge.†Over the next three years, donations to the challenge will be matched on a 2:1 basis (every $1 donation, for example, will be matched with $2 from the grant). The funds will supplement the training of dancers at the school, which provides a pre-professional ballet training program for students 12-18.
“This gift will be absolutely transformational for the J.K.O. School, which trains diverse, versatile dancers from across the country and around the world,†Ms. Moore said in a statement. “In just nine years, the J.K.O. School has grown from 11 young dancers to a student body of over 350. This donation is an enormous testament to the school’s growth and quality and will enable us to engage the most promising and advanced students with crucial scholarships to make their continued training possible.â€
Among other things, the money will expand programming for the school’s pre-professional division and studio company dancers, allow emerging choreographers to create and produce new works, provide scholarships and tuition assistance, and help with infrastructure improvements and maintenance. The money will also benefit the school’s annual exchange program with the Royal Ballet School.
