Dance Benefit for Kids with Life-Threatening Illness

Conner's Cause for Children provides critical financial assistance to over 300 families struggling to cover the out of pocket costs of caring for a child with a life-threatening illness or injury. They make sure that no child goes without medical services or proper in-home care because of a family's lack of resources. Linda Wilkerson, director of San Diego Dance Images (www.sddanceimages.com) has partnered with Conner’s Cause to not only help raise money for this organization but to teach her students the importance of community service and helping others.

“Miss Linda,” as her students know her, teaches tap, jazz, lyrical, and ballet at the City of Carlsbad’s Harding Center and at Dance North County in Encinitas. She has always used the dance recitals as a way to give back to children’s charities. She partnered with Conner’s Cause in 1997 and has donated a portion of the proceeds from the dance recitals to this organization for the past 20 years.

Ms. Carol Del Signore, executive director of Conner’s Cause says, “We are so grateful and so honored that Linda and all of the families have been supporting Conner’s Cause for more years than I can remember. We have families just like yours. The big difference is that the families we help have children who are battling all kinds of diseases and suffering from traumatic injuries. What we try to do is ease their burden a little bit. We are very grateful for Linda’s support.”

This year’s Dance Images Recital is “BROADWAY BOUND” featuring solo and group dances inspired by West Side Story, Hamilton, Les Misérables, and more. Students of all ages get a chance to showcase what they have learned in class throughout the year and perform on stage. In addition to choreographing and teaching dance routines, Miss Linda orders costumes, secures the venue, goes out and gets donation items, and orchestrates the details to make the two hour show as entertaining as possible. Miss Linda has taught dance for over 40 years, the last 25 in North County. Her recitals are full of variety both musically and stylistically. Just watching her 3-5 year old “petite ballerinas” perform is worth the price of admission.

The Dance Images Recital takes place June 9, 2018, at 11am and 6pm at the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Center, 3557 Monroe Street in Carlsbad. Tickets are available online at 21803.recitalticketing.com. Tickets will also be sold at the box office for $20 one hour prior to each show.

Conner’s Cause is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, tax id# 33-0638077. Please visit www.connerscause.org for more information or to make a donation.

PHOTOS BY JEFF KASSEBAUM

Miss Linda with her Petite Ballerinas 3-5 yr olds: Layla Jones, Cora Baker, Emily Dunfey, Aria Caffrey, Kayla Chang, Maya Coelho, Theo Coelho, Brianna Hellewell, Grace Jones, Carter Lyons, Colette McFarlin, Gwenyth Miller, Laurel Miller, Harper Mohr, Taylor Sloan, Madeline Smith, Lilah Spencer, Rose Vigil

Advanced Lyrical Dancers: Claire Hayashida, Meghan McDowell, Holly Guo, Bridget Pfrang, Bennett Selby, London Ross