South Bay Ballet's Young Men Awarded Scholarships from Petit Oasis Foundation

TORRANCE, CA, March 03, 2011 (Press-News.org) South Bay Ballet is pleased to announce that 11 of its young male dancers have been awarded scholarships from Petit Oasis Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that provides scholarships to boys living in the vicinity of Los Angeles and Orange County between the ages of eight and 18 years old who strive to be professional ballet dancers.

Now in its fifth year, the annual audition was held on January 9, 2011 at Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance. South Bay Ballet dancers capturing a combined total of nearly 22% of this year's scholarship amount include senior company members Skylar Kolby Burson, Paul C. Kirk, Benjamin Simoens, and John-Paul Simoens, along with seven junior company members.

Founder and director of Petit Oasis Foundation, Toshiko Honda, commented, "We hope that the selected recipients will develop their potentials and be eligible to renew the award every year, and finally become full-fledged professional dancers."

ABOUT SOUTH BAY BALLET:
South Bay Ballet, a non-profit organization, provides quality artistic performances to the community as well as outstanding training to young and pre-professional dancers. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Diane Lauridsen, and Assistant Artistic Director Candice Davis, the Company's mission is to provide a nurturing environment for serious dance students to develop their skills while offering artistic excellence to the community. The Company is dedicated to providing performance opportunities that build character and confidence. The ultimate goal is to carry young dancers into their professional lives.

South Bay Ballet continues to present Southern California audiences with a professional level artistic experience. Each year South Bay Ballet offers an eclectic range of ballets, from classical to contemporary. In addition to The Nutcracker, the annual season includes both Bravo! A Classical & Contemporary Ballet Experience and Storybook Ballet, at the James R. Armstrong Theatre.

For additional information or to become a friend of South Bay Ballet visit http://www.southbayballet.org.