05/14/2026
Nearly 5 years ago, during our first program in NWA - a free library summer class series - a quiet 12 year old girl walked into our studio. 4 studios later and she's still showing up. OBT's first student, Maria Dumond, is graduating from Fayetteville Public High School tonight, with many honors.
From day 1, Maria set the standard of a model student in the classroom and on the stage. Her work ethic, humility, generosity, leadership, grace and electric performance energy helped keep us inspired through the hardest struggles in the early days and still inspires us daily. She has become our most trusted teacher, our principal student dancer, and we are proud to call her our student and friend. Every professional guest artist we've ever worked with has commented on her infectious stage presence and professionalism. She is a treasure to Northwest Arkansas, Ozark Ballet Theater, her family, her students and her friends.
After receiving scholarship offers totaling over $30,000 from major university and conservatory dance degree programs across the country, Maria has elected to accept an $18,000 combined dance and academic scholarship to the university of Massachusetts at Amherst where she will dual major in Dance and Environmental Science. Any ballet company in the world would benefit from hiring her and, if she puts 1/10th of the passion into environmental studies that she puts into dance, we have no doubt she could help save the world one day.
Join us in congratulating Maria! Have any pics or memories from the last 5 years? Show us in the comments!
