The specific objectives and purposes of Dance For A Difference are:

• to host dance events and performances for charities
• to fundraise for resources and monetary aid to benefit in need non-profit organizations
• to provide scholarships to in need students who seek to pursue the arts post high school graduation

We believe dance has the power to heal and bring about positive change and a cornerstone of The Pretenders Studio’s program is the use of dance in community service outreach and charity work. We are proud to be a dance community that is not only known for our ability to train well skilled dancers but also one that gives back to our community and makes a positive difference in the world through the use of our art. Performances produced by the studio are community service/charity based as this is the heart and soul of our program. We grow to be our strongest and best versions of ourselves so that we are able to “dance for a difference” within our selves and our community.

The Pretenders dancers have danced, hosted events, and fundraised to bring resources and monetary aid to OPCC/People Concerned, The Westside Foodbank, Santa Monica Women’s Shelter, World Special Olympics, Meals on Wheels West, Spark of Love Toy Drive, Red Cross of Santa Monica, West LA Food Bank, Pablove Foundation, Dancescape LA, Claire’s Place Foundation, Donors Choose, SMMUSD, Save our Schools Campaign, The Charlie Foundation, Santa Monica Girls Softball League, Children’s Hospital of LA, Hope Program at Children’s Hospital of LA, Sunrise Assisted Living Pacific Palisades, F.A.C.E.S. Northwest, Alzheimer’s Association, The Upward Bound House, CURE Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, LAPD Canine Association, Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club, Pajama Book Program, Union Mission, Girls Scouts of America, Camp Harmony/United in Harmony, Baby2Baby, West Los Angeles Animal Shelter, SMMUSD Education Foundation, Alex’s Lemonade Foundation, Yale Alumni Service Corp, Buy Local Give Local, Red Cross, NKLA, Santa Monica Police Activities League, Girls Love Mail, Enchanted Makeovers, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, Rock to Recovery, The Santa Monica History Museum, The Happiness Club, The National Equality Action Team, One Tree Planted, The Salvation Army, L.A. Neighbors for Neighbors, The National Organization of Women, Free to Be Dance, and A Window Between Worlds.

Fundraising is only part of our contribution to these community groups. We have been out in the field giving back with volunteer work across the city. Our dancers and our studio community work hard to make a difference using the powerful gift of dance and we are proud to help these organizations grow and prosper as they bring about positive change. We are proud to announce that we have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary support to date. This does not include the countless hours our dancers, their families, and our staff have devoted to planning, hosting, and producing fundraising events.

In order to fortunately achieve this incredible impact, both in terms of community service/charity and in terms of dance education, we have had to maintain a very high standard of professionalism, respect, structure and focus. We are proud to say that each year we see a tremendous improvement in our dancers and our student retention is high year to year. This is made possible through your generous donations. We thank you with utmost gratitude and heartfelt thanks!