Westchester Ballet Company — Attraction in Town of Ossining

The Westchester Ballet Company was founded by my mother, Iris Merrick, when I was 5 years old. I am now 78, living in California, and was so surprised to find it still in existence. While I have not been able to travel back and see it in person, I have watched the videos online, and my mother, who died 23 years ago, would be SO SO SO proud and gratified to see the very high quality of the dance, and the wonderful diversity of the youth participating! Boys! She had to get male dancers from New York City, and now, there are little boys joining the company. This is such an excellent experience for young people, to learn discipline, cooperation, how to perform before an audience. Even if they do not continue into dance, the lessons they learn will be very useful in the rest of their lives. I speak from experience, having performed with the company until my teenage rebellion years, when I quit. Being able to have "a stage presence' has helped my in my career as a rabbi. Our country is going through difficult times, that are causing all of us anxiety. I cannot think of a healthier way to support youth than by encouraging participation in the Westchester Ballet Company, in contributing money for scholarships for talented youth whose families cannot afford lessons, etc etc. I'm going to make another donation right now. Rabbi Me'irah Iliinsky, formerly known as...

My daughter has been in WBC for years, many Nutcrackers, spring shows, and other performances. It has been an amazing experience for her all around. She's experienced performing in front of thousands of people on professional stages, learned how to practice and perfect choreographies and dances so that she can perform confidently, learned how to deal with temporary setbacks and failure, made enduring friendships, and much more.

WBC is an organization made up of 3 equally vital parts - the artistic directors, the volunteer leadership, and the dancers (and their families) - all of whom work hard, sacrifice and enjoy the fruits of the many hours of dedication and work it takes to put on performances each year. It's a great organization and I feel lucky that our family is...

Performing with the Westchester Ballet Company was a formative - probably the most formative - experience in my daughters' young lives. The skills, discipline, and confidence they earned in that community - of high expectations backed by support and earnest encouragement - have served them ever since, on or off public stages. These days, as an audience member, I'm astonished by the professionalism and technical excellence of the dancers as well as the stage production, but even more by the esprit of this company and its contagious love for dance and music and humanity. This is a quality we see too rarely in performances by the "great" professional ballet companies, and may be what makes the WBC Nutcracker the best I've ever...