Dance scholarships to honor Mt. Prospect girl
Lindsey Marie Eyles mixed chemotherapy and choreography almost the entire 18 months she was sick and up until the day she died on Nov. 28, 2010. The Mount Prospect girl was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a very rare cancer of the soft tissue when she was just nine years old.
“Even during her most rigorous treatments, Lindsey’s courage and resolve kept her dancing and working hard,” said Amy Hubert, Artistic Director of the Mount Prospect School of Classical Ballet and one of Lindsey’s instructors.
In celebration of her life, the Eyles family established the Lindsey Marie Eyles Dance Scholarship to help foster Lindsey’s passion for and dedication to dance in other Mount Prospect young dancers. The scholarships will be awarded annually.
When her treatment protocol required her to move to Houston just weeks before her ballet performance last spring, Lindsey kept up-to-date on her choreography by rehearsing with the help of her mother. She flew back to Chicago and headed to dress rehearsal directly from the airport. Once onstage, she rejoined her classmates and assimilated into her dances without missing a beat.
“Lindsey’s performance was nothing short of heroic,” said Hubert. “Despite the fact that she had just finished an intensive round of treatment the day before, she performed five times in back-to-back performances like the consummate professional. She danced beautifully and her charisma was captivating. But that was the essence of Lindsey — she always gave 110 percent, both in the class room and onstage because she was focused, a very hard worker and genuinely loved to dance.”
Two young dancers from Mount Prospect will be selected to receive $1,000 scholarships that can be used toward dance class tuition, costume fees or other expenses related to his or her training. For more information about the scholarship or to apply, visit www.lindseydanceson.com. The application deadline is May 31.
Applicants must be in the sixth grade or above and enrolled at a dance studio in the Chicagoland area.