Florida Dance Master's Angel
FDM is sad to announce the passing of Ari Bloustein a friend, mentor, and respected member of their organization, a person who will be forever missed.
In many aspects, she really was an "angel." Retired from teaching, "Miss Ari" (as she was referred to by many) no longer taught students of her own. She, however, continued to work tirelessly for all the students at Florida Dance Masters as scholarship chairperson for the FDM scholarship program. The program (begun by Edith Royal 20 years ago) features more than 100 scholarships. Under Ari's supervision and nurturing, it has flourished and grown to over 12,000 dollars in awards given out annually to deserving students of member teachers.
"Angel" is often defined as a person who performs acts of great kindness. The opinion of many is that it is a perfect description of Ari Bloustein. Each year at the Florida Dance Masters Thanksgiving convention she happily presented thousands of dollars in scholarships to FDM dancers. They earn these scholarships while taking numerous classes, all arranged by Ari. She brought in master teachers as well as judges to adjudicate the two day event and even helped tabulate the results to determine the winners. Every donor received a personal thank you from Ari encouraging continued support. All of this was a huge undertaking requiring year-round planning and preparation.
FDM's Angel, "Miss Ari", therefore became another kind of angel: A person who provides finical backing for some undertaking especially concerning the arts. There is no doubting the fact that this particular angel will be missed by all for the above reasons and so many more. She will be irreplaceable in their organization. It is their belief that more than anything else, "Miss Ari" will be remembered as the loving, caring and generous person she was to everyone who knew her.