Celebrity dancer gets creative to help families in her Ontario hometown

From the Grammys to the Brit Awards to dancing next to some of the world's biggest stars, Allie Laliberte is proving no dream is too big to achieve.

"You have to really have thick skin and just believe in yourself more than anything," says the Midland, Ont. native.

Taking her footwork to international stages and now calling Los Angeles her home, the 26-year-old has come a long way from her roots in Simcoe County.

"I didn't really know what was out there. I remember my first dream was I wanted to move to the big city of Barrie, and that was, like, the biggest city I could think of. We didn't travel much," Laliberte says.

And while her own story evolved beyond her hometown, she wants to give back to the dance community where it all started.

"As I got older and got back to Midland, I realized there were children like me who could have used a little bit more assistance with their dance fees or just a little bit more opportunity in that way," Laliberte says.

So she created Brass Ring Dance, a non-profit organization to help offer financial support for dance-related programming in smaller communities.

"It's thousands of dollars a year for one single dancer," she says. "Dance is so expensive, so we just wanted to get people dancing as much as possible."

In just a few months, the organization helped to fund dozens of dance-related programs in Midland. And through a partnership with local dance studios, it's also helping to cover enrolment fees for students facing financial barriers.

Georgian Bay School of Dance owner Stephanie Gendron says she's hopeful the program will allow more aspiring dancers to explore their talents.

"It's just been so special seeing the excitement and seeing the relief from parents, too, in knowing that there are programs like this that are going to help," Gendron says.

Laliberte says this is just the beginning for Brass Ring Dance. She has plans to expand her organization into other small towns and inspire the next generation to chase their dreams, no matter how big.