WHO WE ARE

Hi, my name is Olivia Yong, a student at Garnet Valley High School. Three of my favorite things in life are ballet, performing, and The Nutcracker, which is a very popular and influential ballet production. I started taking ballet classes when I was in Kindergarten, and I fell in love with it ever since. I later trained and danced pre-professionally at the Brandywine Ballet Company and attended summer intensives at Princeton Ballet School and The Rock School for Dance. Through my deep passion for ballet, I developed a strong desire to share the joy and meaning of dance with others. I earned my adaptive dance teacher certification through Boston Ballet, which further inspired me to make ballet more accessible. Consequently, I decided to redirect my focus from pre-professional training towards dedicating myself to giving back to my community and broadening access to ballet.

In most (but not all) ballet companies around my area, there are limited opportunities for special needs students to participate in shows like “The Nutcracker”. I was determined to find a way to share this amazing experience with these students, and I was fortunate enough to find teachers at my school who were willing to support my vision. During the summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to teach ballet classes to students participating in the Extended School Year (ESY) program at my school. While I was teaching the students, I realized that anyone can dance! Under my direction, the students performed an excerpt from The Nutcracker called “Candy Canes”, and the kids loved the catchy tune and fun movements. Seeing their smiles and enthusiasm while learning plies, changements, and tendus inspired me to expand and share this idea with other schools. This is how “Nutcracker for All”, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, was born! Dance truly has no barriers, and I hope that Nutcracker for All will help spread the joy of dancing to everyone.