Help Get Piimio to The Rock!

""NEW STRETCH TARGET - $5000""

Kia ora, my name is Piimio Erepeti Mei.

I began ballet classes late when I was 13, and have been practising hard ever since. I fell totally in love with ballet, always get Distinction in my exams, and am told I have great potential. Now I'm 17 (29/01/98) and have passed the audition for a 5 week, full-time ballet intensive at the famous dance school, 'The Rock' in Philadelphia, U.S.A., starting June 29, this year!

This is a huge opportunity at this particular point in my ballet training, because 5 weeks full-time will greatly improve my skills and confidence in preparation for the auditions I need to do at the end of 2015 for full-time schools and dance companies, next year. I need an edge, and this is it!

Ballet fees alone, up until this point, have been a struggle for Mum and I, so we're used to fundraising, but going to America is a massive goal and something we need a lot of help with.

I have my passport and my host family is organised in Philadelphia. Anything you are willing to give to help is so greatly appreciated. It will be going to -

Flights and insurance ($2,490 - booked and need to be paid for by May 22),

Tuition costs ($3,200 - final payment due May 15),

Living expenses ($2,000), pointe shoes ($520), daily bus money etc ($500).

And we have discovered that I do have to have a Visa for the 6 weeks I'm there, and the whole process will cost $NZ630!

When I'm an established dancer and teacher, an important thing I want to do is set up a Trust to provide scholarships for girls like me (from small, low income families) who have the passion and talent to dance, but who might never have the choice to take classes because of financial restraints. That's another reason I am attracted to The Rock - they have a free Outreach programme into the Philadelphia community, which I want to study as a model for my future plans.

I'm so grateful for all the hard work and moral support my Mum has put into helping me achieve my dream so far, and I just wish she could be there to see me perform on stage in Philadelphia.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far - I really appreciate you! - and thank you to everyone else for reading my story.

Have a great day!

Aroha mai, Piimio :)