Payless® is pleased to partner with America's National Ballet Company™ American Ballet Theatre.™ Together, we are committed to providing every young dancer with the tools she needs to fulfill her dreams. From her hometown dance studio to the great stages of the world, our goal is to plant the seed of dance in her heart with the hope it will bloom into a lifelong love of the arts.

Ask our dancers how their journey started, and they will tell you that when they were young, their talent was nurtured, developed and given room to grow and blossom into the passion it is today. Through exposure and celebration, education and training, American Ballet Theatre™ is committed to bringing the magic of dance to the world. Recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940, American Ballet Theatre performs for more than 600,000 people each year. ABT™ has also made more than 15 international tours to 42 countries and has been sponsored by the State Department of the United States on many of these engagements. For more information and to see when American Ballet Theatre will be performing in a city near you, visit www.abt.org.

American Ballet Theatre™ Soloist Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City, moved to California at a young age and later journeyed to New York to pursue her dream. It didn't matter where she was, though. The moment she began dancing, Misty found her true home. Nothing had ever felt so right to her before. Starting classes at the age of thirteen, she discovered that it's never too late, or too soon, to find that special something that makes you feel alive.

Cory Stearns started dancing at the age of five, but his first real love was sports. He dreamed of one day becoming a professional athlete. At age thirteen, he decided his heart belonged completely to dance. Despite those who discouraged him, he pursued his dream with passion and dedication. As a Soloist for American Ballet Theatre™, Cory continues to change and grow. He encourages young dancers to stick with it, so they too will discover where dance can take them.

At three, Sarah Lane knew she wanted to dance. Her mother was her first audience; their kitchen, her first stage. At four, Sarah persuaded her mother to enroll her in lessons. They picked out her first pair of ballet shoes at Payless®. Pretty and pink, the shoes instantly transformed her. And she has never forgotten the magic of this moment. "This is when you become a true dancer." Today Sarah is living her dream, dancing with America’s National Ballet Company™, American Ballet Theatre™. She performs for thousands on the greatest stages from coast to coast and around the world.

Isadora Loyola was born to dance. As a young girl in Brazil, she gained an appreciation of the art from her grandmother and learned beginning steps from her aunt. While watching an ABT™ performance on TV at age eleven, Isadora knew she had to journey to America. Dedicating herself to dance, she worked to achieve this ambitious goal. With persistence, imagination and hard work, dreams really do come true.