Tireless Fundraising Sends Small-Town Alaskan Dance Studio to the Big Apple for Their First NYC Adventure
When Tracy Gilson moved to Valdez, Alaska 20 years ago, the town, home to just 3,900 residents and over 300 inches of snow annually, focused on basketball. Fast forward to 2013, Tracy opened the doors to Valdez Dance Company, the town’s very first dance studio.
“It was all about basketball back then,” Tracy said. “It took over a decade to build up to more than 200 students, but now, dance, and all the arts, are being fostered by the community and everyone loves to come to our shows.”
With the studio thriving for over 11 years, Tracy and her dancers have made several trips across the country to perform. When the studio’s dancers and their families sat down to decide on their next adventure, the vote overwhelmingly favored one place: New York City for Dance The World Broadway Holiday!
“We really wanted to go to New York and specifically wanted to Dance with the Rockettes,” Tracy said. “That’s been the huge pull. The kids are excited about the Times Square performance, but also the Broadway performance is high on the list.”
The trip in December 2025 will be the first Big Apple experience for all 22 dancers making the journey. They will be joined by 50 family members and two teachers. But, before they can trade their snow boots for Dance The World costumes, there’s one major task left to accomplish: fundraising. And let’s just say, these Alaskan dancers aren’t afraid of rolling up their sleeves.
“It has been a lot of hours, from the baking of goods to sitting long hours at a booth,” Tracy explained. “We had a car wash and many bake sales that target the cruise ships that visit our town.”
The dancers also took charge of the local Gold Rush store during Valdez’s annual Gold Rush Days, a five-day celebration of the town’s rich history. The studio is also working on securing a grant from United Way.
“We raised so much that we opened a booster club.”
How much exactly did they raise? A jaw-dropping $20,000 in just five months! And they’re not done yet. Tracy and the crew are aiming to raise another $10,000 over the winter.
“Start small but get the word out,” Tracy said. “Build excitement with flyers and dancing advertisements and package your bake sale goods to make them look enticing.”
If you’re dreaming of a Dance The World trip, don’t let the size of your town or the scale of your goal scare you. If Valdez Dance Company can do it, you can too. And who knows? Maybe next year, you’ll be dancing on Broadway, in Times Square and alongside the Rockettes!
