Dancers make dreams come true for Make-A-Wish recipients

Two young dancers from the Chicago Ballet Conservatory, housed at Synergy Dance Academy in Bloomingdale, are collaborating with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to give the gift of dance.

A third dancer, Abigail Simon, a professional ballet dancer formerly with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, will be performing for Make-A-Wish recipient Yahaira from Hanover Park.

Simon has also danced with the American Ballet Theatre and has been a featured dancer on Broadway in "An American in Paris," where she was understudy to the lead. She will be dancing an excerpt of original choreography from "An American in Paris" for Yahaira.

Abigail has also been a guest artist in the Chicago Ballet Conservatory's production of "The Nutcracker," which is directed by Linda Cunningham. It was in this production of "The Nutcracker" that Cunningham was able to bring Simon together with Micaela Sebby of Geneva and Kera Fernstrom of Bartlett to dance on the same stage for a unique experience where professional dancers blend with young, aspiring dance students.

Sebby and Fernstrom have also been collaborating with two Make-A-Wish recipients - Natalie of Chicago and Elizabeth of southern Illinois - to create a dance especially for them.

Natalie and Elizabeth have expressed their individual visions for the dance, and have worked with Sebby and Fernstrom to decide on songs, costumes, and the feeling or message the dance should emote.

Wish recipient Yahaira will get to see Abigail Simon perform choreography from "An American in Paris" in a video compilation captured by West Side Academy of Ballet in Santa Monica, California.