Additional Information

Lilette Rohe (1921 to 2017) dedicated much of her life to teaching ballet and mentoring talented young dancers. For over forty years she operated the Lilette Rohe School of Ballet in Evanston where generations of students trained with her. Through her teaching, Lilette shared her love of ballet, the arts, literature and life. Her vision was to make ballet accessible to everyone who stepped into her studio. She offered need and talent-based scholarships to many of her students. On certain occasions, she drove students to ballet classes at the Ruth Page School of Dance, thus supporting the advancement of her students to the next level of dance in their young careers.

Lilette was more than a teacher; she was a mentor, nurturing and instilling a sense of purpose and self-worth in her students. She was a role model and inspiration. What she imparted in her classes went beyond a strong ballet technique. Her determination, passion, endless pursuit of knowledge, and strong work ethic demonstrated the attributes necessary not only for a successful ballet career, but also crucial to achieving any life-long dream. Many of her students have gone on to have professional careers in ballet, as well as others becoming attorneys, surgeons, medical doctors, and PhDs of all variety, business owners, and artistic directors / founders of dance companies. Many of these former students credit her for starting them on this successful path. Lilette’s humor, grace, generosity and dignity were contagious, leaving a lasting impression on all who met and trained with her. It is the intention of Lilette Rohe Ballet Foundation (“the Foundation”) to continue her legacy and keep her memory alive.

To that end, the Lilette Rohe Ballet Foundation is committed to nurturing talented young dancers, enabling their access to quality pre-professional ballet training, assuring that the highest quality of teaching standards continues, and sustaining the vibrancy of cultural life in our communities.

The Foundation intends to support this mission by offering the following types of resources to young dancers who show a proclivity for dance and a commitment to the fine arts:

• Financial assistance to talented young dancers with financial constraints
• Scholarships
• Tickets to ballet performances
• Leotards, tights, ballet shoes, and/or costumes
• Payment of audition fees for ballet school summer intensives or ballet company auditions
• Master Classes taught by Ms. Rohe’s former students /former professional ballet dancers
• Training dancers in dance education to continue the legacy of quality ballet training
• Community outreach