Gwinnett Ballet Theatre Receives $10,000 Grant from National Endowment of the Arts

The Gwinnett Ballet Theatre is the recipient of a major grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. The Lawrenceville based dance organization is getting a $10,000 matching grant from the NEA.

GBT is the first non-professional, non-profit organization in Gwinnett County to receive this grant.

The NEA is matching funds donated to GBT by The Hudgens Family Foundation and the Target Foundation.

The funds will be used to support The Dance Project, an outreach program that began in 2005 at Shiloh Elementary School. The money will allow 108 students from three Title I schools across Gwinnett County to take part in the program.

"The money goes for instruction, dance clothing, dance shoes, and instructional materials for the kids to keep," said GBT's Holley Calmes in an email to Patch. "The course is for 16 weeks of ballet instruction. Plus tickets to all of our productions."

Calmes expects to announce which schools next week.

“The benefits of dance training are undeniable," said GBT Artistic Director Wade Walthall in a release. "The discipline provides physical, mental, and spiritual development that continues to provide assets throughout life. For this reason it is important to reach out to diverse communities."