The audience sees graceful movement, beautiful costumes, and standing ovations. What they don’t always see is confidence taking shape behind the curtain.
For 30 years, Joedy Cook has led Ballet Quad Cities with a vision that reaches far beyond the stage. What began with $25,000, one paid dancer and a dream has grown into a professional ballet company where women lead, dancers build careers, and young people discover what they are capable of achieving.
For Joedy, empowering women was there from the beginning. “It started with women—young, talented women,” she says. “It’s about working with young women to instill confidence and vision and what is possible. And yes, you can do this.”
Today, Ballet Quad Cities is led by an all-female staff and attracts professional dancers from across the country. More than 300 dancers applied last year alone for the opportunity to join the company.
For Joedy, developing a dancer means developing the woman within.
“They have to feel confident. They have to know the power within them,” she says. “They have to be able to go out on that stage… and show everybody who they are.”
Beyond the Stage
That belief reaches into the community.
Through leadership programs, students learn to choreograph, collaborate, and eventually stand before others to share what they have created. And each year, The Nutcracker gives young dancers ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to perform alongside professionals and a live orchestra before nearly 8,000 people.
The lesson is bigger than ballet: believe in yourself, take the chance, and don’t be afraid to fail. “It’s that confidence,” Joedy says. Instead of worrying about what might go wrong, she encourages young people to ask: What are we going to do, and how are we going to get there?
Opening More Doors
This year, Royal Neighbors of America® recognized Joedy and Ballet Quad Cities with a $20,000 Nation of Neighbors℠ Empowerment Grant to expand opportunities for women and girls.
The funding is already inspiring new partnerships with organizations including the YWCA, a Rock Island library, and a local childcare organization. Plans include Dance Me a Story, family dance experiences and other programs that will bring the arts to people who might not otherwise have access.
For someone who has spent three decades advocating for the arts, the recognition hit home. “It really took my breath away,” Joedy says. “And then I knew I better get going.”
“I Can Do That”
Ask Joedy what she hopes a young girl carries with her after experiencing Ballet Quad Cities, and her answer isn’t a perfect performance.
It’s the confidence to say: “I can do that.” And when things don’t go as planned? Keep going.
“Failure is not the worst thing in the world,” Joedy says. “Sometimes it’s the best…you get back on that horse and you just take off.”
It’s a philosophy shared by the women who have built Ballet Quad Cities alongside her.
“This would never, ever be where it is today without them,” Joedy says. “Ever.”
So when Joedy accepts the Nation of Neighbors recognition, she plans to bring every woman involved with Ballet Quad Cities forward to share the moment.
A fitting tribute to a 30-year journey that began with one woman, one dancer, and a dream—and continues every time another woman or girl finds the courage to think:
“I can do that.”