A’lia Martin, a Morro Bay High School freshman who has been dancing since she was four years old, has been awarded the Jennifer Thoma Memorial Ballet Scholarship.
A’lia, 14, will use the $2,500 award to help pay for a six-week summer intensive with the Houston Ballet. She hopes her training will lead to a career in dance.
“My ultimate goal is to be a professional ballet dancer with a dance company,” A’lia said.
A’lia and her family are new to the Central Coast, having moved from Iowa in August. However, A’lia has continued to pursue her passion for dance locally, joining the Dance Fusion company at her school and SLO Movement Arts Center last fall.
In Iowa, she performed in several productions, including “The Wizard of Oz,” in which she portrayed Dorothy. She is already a veteran of three summer intensives, in Chicago, Newton, Mass. and Holland, Mich.
In her new hometown, A’lia maintains a busy dance schedule, rehearsing roughly 10 hours a week, including three evenings at SLO Movement.
“She is disciplined and driven but still in love with dance, which provides her with the freedom to express herself,” said her mother, Debra Martin.
A’lia said she dances because it’s both technically challenging and artistically beautiful.
“Dance is an escape from the stress of life,” she said. “It’s a place where you can focus on yourself and your movement.”
Competitors for the Jennifer Thoma Memorial Ballet Scholarship, administered by The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, submit an arts resume, an essay, school transcripts, a letter of recommendation and an audition video. A panel of Jennifer’s friends and peers selects the recipient. In February, Angela Hollander, the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Program Associate, called A’lia’s mother to relay the good news.
“Angela wanted to surprise A’lia at her dance studio so I kept the secret for a week – not an easy task, as I was excited for her and very proud.” Martin said.
Additional information about the Jennifer Thoma Memorial Ballet Scholarship is available online through The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County, www.cfsloco.org, or by contacting Angela Hollander at (805) 543-2323 x 14.