Canton Ballet Dancers Awarded Over $75K In Scholarships Following Regional Dance America Festival Success

Canton Ballet has announced its dancers have achieved remarkable success at the recent Regional Dance America Northeast Festival in Scranton, PA, collectively earning over $75,000 in scholarships and securing coveted spots at prestigious national ballet summer intensives. This significant accomplishment underscores the exceptional talent nurtured and the high caliber of training provided by Canton Ballet.

Among the standout achievements, Giada Szekeres, a junior at Lake High School, received a remarkable $60,000 collegiate scholarship to the esteemed American Music and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City. Giada's selection through a competitive audition process exemplifies the dedication and skill fostered at Canton Ballet. This summer, she will further hone her technique by attending a summer intensive at Ballet Arizona.

Canton Ballet continues to serve as a significant launching pad for aspiring professional dancers, and this summer two of its Company members will be furthering their studies at the prestigious School of American Ballet (SAB) summer intensive in New York City: freshman Kaitlyn Giltz and junior Ashlyn Wood, both students at Jackson High School.

Joining them in securing highly competitive placements are Madison Fabek, a sophomore at Central Catholic High School, and Maria Carosello, a junior at GlenOak High School, both of whom have secured spots at the renowned Miami City Ballet.

In addition to these significant placements, numerous other talented Canton Ballet students have also been accepted into esteemed summer intensive programs across the country, most with scholarships. These intensive programs provide crucial opportunities for advanced study and exposure to leading institutions and companies.

“We are incredibly proud of our dancers' achievements at the Regional Dance America Festival and in securing these prestigious scholarships and summer intensive placements,” said Canton Ballet Director Jennifer Catazaro Hayward. “Their success is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the rigorous training and guidance they receive from our exceptional teaching faculty. These opportunities are vital stepping stones in their development as dancers.”

Canton Ballet students' summer training plans include placements at prestigious intensives across the country and continued study at Canton Ballet:

Pre-Professional Division 1:

• Ally Chambers – BalletMet
• Mia Fetrow – Chautauqua Institution
• Lena Fostyk – Canton Ballet
• Naomi Hackbart – Cincinnati Ballet
• Aviya Hershberger – BalletMet
• Kaylin McManus – Canton Ballet
• Kenzi Metzger – The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory
• Brook Monty – Canton Ballet
• Lucy Sands – Louisville Ballet
• Addison Wonsettler – Canton Ballet
• Gianna Woods – Canton Ballet

Pre-Professional Division 2:

• Maria Carosello – Miami City Ballet
• Lucy Deuble – Ballet Met and Nashville Ballet
• Madison Fabek – Miami City Ballet
• Kaitlyn Giltz – School of American Ballet
• Henry Monty – The Rock School for Dance
• Paxton Stedman – Ballet Met and Nashville Ballet
• Giada Szekeres – Ballet Arizona
• Ashlyn Wood – American Ballet Theatre and School of American Ballet

These accomplishments and summer training plans highlight the dedication of Canton Ballet students and the program's success in preparing dancers for advanced opportunities in the ballet world.