01
Competition Participation
World of Dance, national events, and stage opportunities that reveal what these young artists can do.
A Youth Arts & Competition Fund
Transforming youth through dance, music, art, storytelling, and creative opportunity.
We use competitions to discover talent, storytelling to amplify their journeys, and structured programs to develop their future—building a sustainable platform that supports and elevates the next generation of artists through dance, music, and the creative arts.
Powered by the Villalobos Performing Arts Association / Villalobos International Arts Foundation in collaboration with Maria Prada Academy and AMARTE Cultural & Wellness Center.
Villalobos Performing Arts Association · Austin Maria Prada Dance Academy · Medellín AMARTE Fractured Atlas · 501(c)(3) World of Dance Ballet Metropolitano de Medellín Villalobos Performing Arts Association · Austin Maria Prada Dance Academy · Medellín AMARTE Fractured Atlas · 501(c)(3) World of Dance Ballet Metropolitano de Medellín
01 · The Mission
Why this matters.
Thousands of young people grow up without consistent access to artistic education, mentorship, creative opportunity, or safe spaces to develop their talents. Born to Perform was created to help change that.
Through dance, storytelling, mentorship, competitions, and structured arts education, we help youth develop confidence, discipline, artistic excellence, emotional resilience, and opportunity—while building pathways for long-term personal and professional growth.
For many young artists in Colombia, these programs become far more than extracurricular activities. They become spaces for structure, belonging, emotional expression, mentorship, and hope for the future.
In communities facing economic hardship and limited access to opportunity, the arts can provide stability, confidence, direction, and a positive path forward.
Some students come from environments where creative programs become one of the few consistent spaces for growth, support, and community connection.
Born To Perform exists to help ensure that talent is not limited by economic circumstance.
01.5 · Beyond the Stage
More than performance.
The arts create more than performers—they help develop confidence, resilience, leadership, creative identity, and opportunity.
For many students, dance becomes:
- a safe and supportive environment
- a positive outlet for emotional expression
- a pathway toward self-worth and personal growth
- a source of belonging and connection
- a vision for a different future
Through competitions, training, storytelling, and mentorship, Born to Perform helps young artists grow not only as performers, but as future creators, leaders, and cultural ambassadors.
This initiative is more than a competition fundraiser. We are building:
- A fundraising engine
- A youth arts development platform
- A cultural exchange ecosystem
- A long-term creative opportunity system
Together, these programs help young artists discover their potential while connecting communities through culture, movement, and storytelling.
“Art is not a luxury. It is infrastructure for resilience, identity, and opportunity.”
A Future, Not Just a Performance
What begins as dance can become a future.
For many students, these programs become one of the few spaces where they feel seen, supported, challenged, and inspired to grow.
Through structured arts programs, youth gain
- confidence
- teamwork
- discipline
- leadership skills
- creative thinking
- mentorship
- performance experience
- cultural connection
These experiences can open pathways toward
- scholarships
- teaching opportunities
- creative careers
- healthier social environments
- international exposure
- long-term personal growth
Your support helps create access, stability, mentorship, and opportunity through the arts.
02 · Programs
What your support funds.
Every donation moves directly into youth arts access — competitions, training, costumes, travel, creative development, training facilities, and the systems that support long-term growth.
Your support helps provide young artists with access to mentorship, artistic training, emotional support systems, safe creative environments, and opportunities that can positively shape the direction of their lives.
For some young artists, these programs become one of the few stable environments where they feel seen, supported, inspired, and connected to a future larger than their current circumstances.
VPAA helps provide the fundraising infrastructure, systems, strategic support, and international nonprofit access that allow youth arts organizations and programs to expand opportunities for talented dancers, instructors, choreographers, and emerging artists.
Through donor contributions, grant access, storytelling, and program development support, these initiatives help create sustainable pathways for training, competitions, mentorship, artistic growth, training facilities, and long-term creative opportunity while helping develop the next generation of performers.
Donors are not only supporting performances — they are helping build community, culture, education, training spaces, safe creative environments, and life-changing opportunities through the arts.
02
Travel & Logistics
Transportation, meals, lodging, and event coordination so distance is never the reason a dancer stays home.
03
Costumes & Production
Costuming, stage prep, and production materials that meet the moment our dancers deserve.
04
Youth Training & Creative Development
Weekly classes, mentorship, and creative development across ballet, contemporary, jazz, latin dance, and urban dance — providing young artists with access to safe, supportive training spaces alongside professional instructors, choreographers, and creative mentors.
05
Storytelling
Documentary filming, photography, and narrative work that turns one performance into a movement.
06
Program Infrastructure
The systems, coordination, and tools that quietly hold everything together — and let it scale.
Support a Dancer
Your support helps create access, stability, mentorship, and opportunity through the arts.
03 · The Initiative
Three organizations.
One ecosystem.
Born to Perform is a collaborative initiative built between the United States and Colombia — combining arts education, youth development, cultural exchange, storytelling, and international fundraising into a single platform.
By combining fundraising systems, storytelling, competitions, mentorship, and structured arts programming, the initiative creates both immediate impact and long-term opportunity for youth artists in Medellín and beyond.
Austin, USA
Villalobos International Arts Foundation
A U.S.-based nonprofit initiative under the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas, supporting arts education, cultural exchange, and community-centered creative programs. Powered by the Villalobos Performing Arts Association.
Medellín · Colombia
Maria Prada Dance Academy
A Medellín-based dance academy dedicated to the artistic and personal development of children, youth, and adults through high-level dance education and cultural programming.
Cultural Hub
AMARTE Cultural & Wellness Center
A multidisciplinary cultural hub designed to support dance, music, wellness, arts education, performances, and community activation.
“Competition is the entry point. Storytelling is the growth engine. Programs are the long-term system.”
04 · Stories
Meet the artists.
Every dancer carries a story worth investing in. Here are some of the young people your support directly reaches.
Guadalupe
Age 13
“Dance helped me become more confident and believe in myself.”
Compete at World of Dance
Miguel
Age 16
“My dream is to represent Colombia internationally through dance.”
Train with international company
Paulina
Age 14
“On stage I finally feel like the version of myself I am inside.”
Earn a conservatory scholarship
Juliana
Age 15
“Dance gives me discipline and a place where I belong.”
Join a professional company
Juana
Age 12
“When I dance I feel free and full of joy.”
Perform on a national stage
Gabriela
Age 16
“Every rehearsal teaches me to push past my limits.”
Choreograph my own piece
Lucia
Age 14
“Dance is how I tell the stories I cannot say in words.”
Study contemporary dance abroad
Maria
Age 17
“Dance taught me to trust my body and my voice.”
Tour internationally
Isabella
Age 15
“Ballet is the language I never knew I needed.”
Dance with a classical company
Lina
Age 28
“Teaching dance is how I give back what was given to me.”
Open a community dance space
Luis
Age 24
“Movement is the one place I feel completely myself.”
Build a breaking crew of my own
Natalia
Age 30
“Dance keeps me grounded and reminds me why I started.”
Mentor the next generation
30–40
Active Students
9
Disciplines
6+
Major Competitions
05 · The Academy
Maria Prada Dance Academy.
A Medellín dance school dedicated to the comprehensive artistic training of children, youth, and adults — built on the belief that movement and art are powerful tools for personal and social transformation.
Disciplines
- Classical Ballet
- Modern Ballet
- Jazz
- Contemporary
- Urban Dance
- Salsa
- Latin Fusion
- Flamenco
- Limón Technique
- Oriental Dance
- Physical Conditioning
Competition Participation
- Distrito DanceJune 5–8
- addicted2danceJune 16
- Feria de las FloresAugust 9
- Medellín ContestAugust 20
- World of DanceNovember 12–14
05.5 · Visual Arts
Inside the studio.
Young artists learn painting, drawing, and visual storytelling in a hands-on studio environment — guided by working artists and mentors who help every student find their own creative voice.
Studio Disciplines
- Painting
- Drawing
- Mixed Media
- Color Theory
- Composition
- Mentorship
06 · Impact
Real impact through the arts.
500+
Youth Impacted
30–40
Active Students
12+
Competitions Entered
Weekly
Classes & Training
“Watching my daughter find her voice through dance has changed our entire family. This program gave her something we couldn't.”
07 · How We Operate
A fundraising engine. A program execution system.
USA
Villalobos International Arts Foundation
- —U.S. nonprofit
- —Program Initiatives
- —Donor infrastructure
- —International partnerships
- —Campaign systems
Colombia
Maria Prada Dance Academy
- —Colombia nonprofit
- —Dancer training
- —Program execution
- —Local fundraising
- —Community development
Cultural Hub
AMARTE
- —Cultural hub
- —Live events
- —Creative space
- —Community activation
08 · Give
Support the next generation of artists.
🇺🇸
United States
Support the Entire Initiative
Donations are processed through Villalobos International Arts Foundation under Fractured Atlas and support the broader Born To Perform Initiative, including youth arts programs, training, mentorship, competitions, cultural exchange, community arts programming, and facility development in collaboration with Maria Prada Dance Academy and AMARTE Cultural Arts & Wellness Center.
Tax-deductible · Fractured Atlas 501(c)(3)
Donate USA 🇨🇴
Colombia
Maria Prada Dance Academy
Support youth dancers participating in training, performances, and competitions. Contributions help provide classes, mentorship, costumes, transportation, competition participation, and artistic development opportunities.
Support Youth Dancers
Donate to Maria Prada Academy 🇨🇴
Colombia
AMARTE Cultural Arts & Wellness Center
Support the development of arts, wellness, cultural, and educational programming at AMARTE. Contributions help provide training spaces, community programs, workshops, equipment, creative resources, and access to arts education.
Support Community Arts Programs
Donate to AMARTE Your contribution helps expand opportunities for young artists while strengthening the programs, instructors, facilities, and creative infrastructure that support their growth.
09 · Partners
Strategic partners & cultural collaborators.
We build with institutions that take youth artistic development as seriously as we do.
Fractured Atlas
Villalobos International Arts Foundation
Martha Gonzalez × AMARTE
Maria Prada Dance Academy
Frontline Films
Ballet Metropolitano de Medellín
Gyros Korè
George Arenas
Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín
10 · FAQ
Questions, answered.
- U.S. donations made through Villalobos International Arts Foundation under Fractured Atlas are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
- Funds support youth competitions, training, arts education, storytelling, and program development across both the U.S. and Colombian sides of the initiative.
- Yes. Colombian donations can be made directly through the local nonprofit structure linked above.
- Yes. We welcome volunteers, mentors, artists, educators, and supporters across both countries.
- Yes. We actively work with businesses, sponsors, and aligned organizations on long-term partnerships.
- Yes. Storytelling and documentation are central to the initiative — they extend impact and unlock long-term support.
- Absolutely. We welcome cultural, educational, nonprofit, and corporate partnerships.
11 · The Invitation
This is more than competition.
We are building opportunity, confidence, mentorship, cultural connection, and long-term creative pathways for the next generation of artists.
Through the arts, young people gain more than performance experience—they gain identity, resilience, community, and hope for the future.
Your support helps create access, stability, mentorship, and opportunity through the arts.
“Art builds what systems overlook.”