Posthumous Gift from Dancer’s Estate to Support Professional & Health Needs in Boston

Boston Dance Alliance (BDA), the region’s leading dance service organization created to support and advance the artform and its artists, received a $150,000 donation from the estate of Christine Hamersley, a dance enthusiast and adult dance student who lived in Duxbury, Mass. The donation, arranged by Hamersley’s sister Barbara Bollin, will support the purchase of a new portable dance floor and establish a fund for BDA’s annual Open Audition & Dancer Health Day initiative, which will be named for Hamersley.

Bollin says Hamersley was a beloved figure in the Boston dance community, known for her warmth and inclusivity, and for welcoming dancers of all backgrounds to the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio, where she studied for decades. Hamersley also created and managed a regional Dance Affinity Facebook group that became a platform where dancers and organizations alike made connections and found professional opportunities.

The gift will fund critical resources for local dancers, including a new professional grade portable dance floor that BDA will offer at below-market rates to dance companies and organizations hosting dance events across Greater Boston. It also will support and expand BDA programs that manage open-call auditions each year (allowing dancers to find work with regional choreographers) and offer dancer health and wellness resources through a BDA partnership with Spaulding Rehabilitation and its Director of Dance Medicine Lauren Elson, MD, a BDA board member.

BDA Executive Director Aaron Myers says the donation, which Elson helped to facilitate, will be structured to provide support in perpetuity and honor Christine’s spirit of kindness, inclusivity and passion. “These gifts to Boston Dance Alliance create a legacy of support for the Greater Boston dance communities and its artists,” Myers says. “That they also honor a cherished member of our community makes it even more special. Boston Dance Alliance takes great pride in celebrating and carrying on Christine’s remarkable dance legacy for many years to come.”

“I am so pleased to support the dance community that meant so much to Christine,” Bollin says. “I hope that her joy, her kindness and love of dance continues to inspire future generations.”

Christine Ann (Woleslagle) Hamersley was born in Bethel Park, Penn. She attended Bethel Park High School and West Virginia University before working as a flight attendant for Air New England and ground operations for Swiss Air. A devoted member of the Boston dance community, Hamersley studied for years at Jeannette Neill Dance Studio and created opportunities for dancers to develop their personal and professional relationships. A passionate traveler, Hamersley explored Europe, the Canadian Rockies, India and Southeast Asia. She passed away in March 2024 and is survived by her sister Barbara Bollin, beloved nieces and nephews, and their children.

Boston Dance Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a vibrant dance community in the Greater Boston area. Through programs, resources, and community initiatives, BDA supports dancers of all levels, promoting access, inclusivity, and excellence in dance.

Christine Hamersley, image credit BDA