Hello, Second Act Community!

We hope this message finds you well. As we enter into our last quarter of the year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the amazing accomplishments we have achieved to date. In this newsletter, we are updating you on our mentorship program, social media and volunteer opportunities, and our newest partnerships, including with the Joffrey Ballet!

Mentorship Program

In the last quarter, we have also welcomed several new mentors to the program:

• An-Ya Olson | Applied Physics, Aerospace

• Clayton McKenna | Finance, Private equity

• Julie Wittenberg | Business and Art Law, In-house counsel

• Bryn Davis | Consulting

• Emma Leone | University of Florida College of Medicine, Med student

• Leah Singer | Business, Marketing, Ecommerce

• Reyna Carrillo | Arts Administration, Development department

• Heather Duncan | Dance teacher & EMT

• Antonia Vrana | Medicine, Oncology surgery

• Carina Castaneda | Healthcare, Mental health

It’s That Time of the Year Again…

In the next month, Mentors will receive a formal request to send in their updated bios and headshots as we are updating our website. We recognize the importance of maintaining a current website that displays the most up-to-date information regarding our Mentors and their statuses, jobs, education, and any other relevant info. Keep an eye out for more details from us!

Announcements

2A Third Anniversary Fundraiser and Celebration Recap

We are thrilled to announce that our Third Anniversary Fundraiser and Celebration was a huge success! Thanks to our incredibly generous donors, we exceeded our original goal of $5,000 and raised over $7,000. We are so grateful to our incredible community for helping us throughout not only the fundraising campaign but since the founding of Second Act. Cheers to 3 years!

Dancer Dialogues!

Second Act is so excited to announce our IG Event Series with Shelby Whallon, Founder of The Encore Fund. Our IG Series, Dancer Dialogues, invites a series of panelists to discuss various aspects of the transition from dancer to the world beyond the stage.

Our next episode of Dancer Dialogues takes to Instagram Live via @secondactnyc and @theencorefund at 9:00pm EST on October 10th! Be sure to tune in!

Joffrey Ballet x Second Act!

We are so excited to formally announce our partnership with Joffrey Ballet! This season, the Joffrey Ballet launched their inaugural Artist Pathway program – a formal professional development / continuing education program for Joffrey company members. The goal of this program is to create a comprehensive professional program for dancers as they think through life after dance. The Artist Pathway program includes a series of lectures, online resources via a proprietary portal, tuition waivers for Associate’s and Bachelor's degrees at local colleges and universities, and a dedicated on-site career counselor.

Second Act and our mentorship program will be participating as a resource and will be taking an active role in their lecture series. We are THRILLED to champion this initiative and provide additional support and mentorship to the talented community of Joffrey Ballet!

Organizational Updates

Volunteers Needed

As our organization continues to grow, our team needs to as well! We’re looking for volunteers to assist running Second Act. You'll get to join a great team passionate about building an exciting organization while staying connected to the arts. These roles will have the possibility of serving as internship credit:

• Mentorship Program Coordinator (~1-2 hours / week): Work with our mentorship team to match mentors and mentees!

• Social Media Coordinator (~1-2 hours / week): Help our social media team create engaging content.

• Legal Counsel (As needed): Work with us on an ongoing basis as our organization expands.

Please reply to this email if you are interested in either of the positions listed above. We'll follow up with next steps. We're excited for you to join us!

From our Partners

Barre to Bedside

Barre to Bedside is establishing a healthcare-oriented mentorship organization for dancers. The plan is to recruit mentors and mentees at all levels of medical training for mentorship, networking, and community-building. In addition, they will be hosting events such as panel discussions, coffee, hours, lectures, and volunteer outreach. Please fill out the survey via this link to show your interest in the program. 

Harkness Center for Dance Injuries

VIRTUAL: Harkness Center Coffee Chat: When Dance is at Odds with Family Culture, Goals, and Traditions

Fri., October 25 from 12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT on Zoom

With Alena Gerst, LCSW, RYT

Find details and REGISTER HERE

IN PERSON: Saturday Series: Running for Dancers

Sat., October 26 from 2:00 – 3:30 PM EDT 

Location: Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, 614 2^nd Ave., 2G, NY, NY 10016

With Lauren Mcintyre, ATC, and Ella Otto, MS, ATC

Find details and REGISTER HERE

The Encore Fund

The Encore Fund launches its 2024/2025 cycle Scholarship Application on November 1st, 2024. For more information, please visit their website here. The Encore Fund is a great way for Second Act Mentees to receive additional support through scholarships.

Murmure Skincare

Murmure Skincare aims to make a real difference by offering safer and more effective skincare options that align with your values. Founded by two former ABT Dancers, Jonathan Klein and Emily Hayes, Second Act is thrilled to champion these two incredibly smart and impactful entrepreneurs who are paving the way for dancers to launch creative ventures beyond the dance studio.

We’re excited to share a discount code with you all: Use promo code “SECONDACT” for 15% off your entire purchase!

Thank you so much for your continued support, and we’re excited for what the rest of the year has in store. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or just to say hello!

Sincerely,

Erika Pugh

Board Member, Second Act

[email protected]