Susan Marie Olson Dance Foundation
The "Susan Marie Olson Dance Foundation" was created in memory of Susan Olson Santoro, Founding Director of New York Academy of Ballet. It was Susan's dream to share her love of dance with as many young people as possible. Through her 30+ year teaching career she touched hundreds of young lives through the performing arts. She always dreamed of creating a not-for-profit to work with her studio (New York Academy of Ballet) to provide scholarship opportunities for the surrounding community. She believed dance should be accessible to all and that a quality dance education could help shape and change the lives of young people. Following Susan's passing her daughter, Alessia Gaetana Santoro (now director of New York Academy of Ballet) made it her mission to keep her mother's legacy alive. In keeping her mother's legacy alive through New York Academy of Ballet she also created the Susan Marie Olson Dance Foundation as a way to continue of her mother's visions for the community. Alessia decided to title the foundation the "Susan Marie Olson Dance Foundation" as a way to honor the little girl in her mother who had big dreams. Susan did not have an easy life as an adult and Alessia wanted the foundation to honor that little girl in her mother before life created hardships in her life. We want this foundation to be a way for young people to feel empowered, inspired, and have the boldness to dream big!