Help Us Keep Dancing!
“Creating worthwhile human beings one dancer, one artist at a time” is the University of Utah Tanner Dance mission. It has not changed over Tanner’s seventy-year history and it is more important than ever that we provide a place for our students to grow and flourish as individuals who are committed to contributing to our society. For many students and families, Tanner Dance is a secure and treasured home.
As we move into summer and fall, Tanner Dance is experiencing a large number of requests for scholarships. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our families have reduced incomes and do not have sufficient funds to provide classes for their students. We are seeing a decrease in enrollment in all of our programs including: Fine Arts Preschool, French Immersion Preschool, Arts in Education, Studio Program, Children’s Dance Theatre, Children and Adults with Disabilities, Elevate Theatre Company, Contemporary Companies, Visual Arts Program, Community Partnership Programs, and Professional Development Programs.
At this time, we ask for your support of the Tanner Dance Scholarship Fund. A generous Tanner Dance patron has donated a lead gift of $60,000 as a match for this campaign and it is our goal to raise $150,000. A donation of $150 will provide a partial tuition scholarship for a student; a gift of $700 will fund a student for a full-year; a $1,500 donation will fund the match for a semester of dance for a class in one of our Arts-in-Education schools; and $3,000 will support a Title One school class for an entire year. We welcome and appreciate donations of any amount, and you may designate the program to which you would like to apply your donation.
Under the CARES Act, taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions will be able to claim a charitable deduction of up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married-filed-jointly taxpayers for cash donations made in 2020. There are also new charitable deductions limits modified for individuals, increased charitable deductions limits for corporations, waiver of retirement-plan penalties for purposes related to the Coronavirus, and required minimum distributions waived. For more information go to UU giving information.
Please join with us now as we prepare to physically return to Tanner Dance in the fall by donating at whatever level you are able. Bring joy to our students who have been gravely affected by the effects of the Coronavirus, promote a healthy lifestyle, and build resiliency in our greatest resource: our children.
With gratitude,
Mary Ann Lee and the Faculty and Staff of the University of Utah Tanner Dance Program
Help us reach our goal of $150,000 one dancer at a time!
Click Here to Donate
A generous Tanner Dance patron has donated a lead gift of $60,000 as a match for this campaign and it is our goal to raise $150,000. We welcome and appreciate donations of any amount, and you may designate the program to which you would like to apply your donation.
Virginia Tanner Studio Program
“My daughter’s class at Tanner studio instilled confidence at a much needed time of transition during her early teen years. I am grateful to have discovered the adult creative studio class for my own grounding and creative expression. My daughter and I have benefited greatly from the weekly classes, accomplished teachers, and participation in the beautifully moving recitals that Tanner Dance produces year after year.”
-Wendy Prusso, Parent
Support a Dancer!
Dancers with Disabilities
“Kate’s participation at Tanner Dance has been thoroughly positive. She looks forward to her classes and is always happiest when it is a Tanner Dance day! She loves being in the university setting, and enjoys the camaraderie with the students and teachers. The teachers are patient, kind, and respectful of Kate. Their encouragement and positive approaches help Kate try new things and gain pride in mastering new skills. This is a program like none other.”
-Lisa Thornton, Parent
Support an artist!
Children’s Dance Theatre
“I have met the best people through CDT. I have had experiences I never thought I would be able to have, and they have all led me to who I am today. I have learned to feel comfortable and confident on stage because we spend so much time in the beautiful Capitol Theatre.”
-Audrey Nagasawa, Children’s Dance Theatre Member
Support a permorfer!
Arts-in-Education
“By participating in the Tanner Dance program, my students are able to experience working collaboratively in groups without competition. They are able to engage with their bodies, channel their energy, and ignite their creative expression, all of which build their self-confidence. Individual student growth then leads to benefits for the entire school. Our sense of community has grown, as has pride in our dance accomplishments.”
-Joy Ligget, 3rd Grade Teacher
Support a classroom!
Contemporary Companies
“Momentum Dance Company was a vital asset in my dance training that provided me a safe space to grow, and keep growing. The high level of attention and care I got in this company pushed me to be in Tipping Point Dance Company, a home where doors were constantly being opened for me through an array of performance opportunities. This athletic art form filled my body and heart more and more each year as I was introduced to new challenges and experiences.”
-Mimi Reeder, Tipping Point Dance Company Member
Support a Student choreographer!
Fine Arts Preschool
“The Fine Arts Preschool program has the extraordinary ability and opportunity to show these little humans the world around them through the pathway of the arts. Dance, music, visual art, drama, literature, and creative writing are our tools to unlock doors of enchantment, creativity, wonderment, perception, social and emotional development, problem solving skills, and learning.”
– Misha Moffat, Fine Arts Preschool Director
Support a preschooler!
French Immersion Program
“COVID has been difficult for everyone – this school is a light that still needs to be lit, to get us through this time. We need song, dance, laughter, and happiness more than ever. We need French – and as a world of 7 billion people that are getting through this together, being immersed in a different culture, learning a different language, knowing we are a global community, is more important than ever.”
-French Immersion Parent