Highlights
- Madison Penney and Alli Chester received the 2026 Hazel Hare Award of Artistic Excellence at Ballet Arizona's Dance With Me Gala.
- The award is backed by a $4 million endowment from the Hazel A.S. Hare Charitable Trust, established in 2018.
- Chester retired from the stage in March after five seasons; Penney, an Arizona native, trained at The Royal Ballet School in London.
- Artistic Director Daniela Cardim presented both awards and cited Penney's growth into a principal role and Chester's versatility across the full repertoire.
Two Ballet Arizona dancers received the 2026 Hazel Hare Award of Artistic Excellence at the company's Dance With Me Gala: Madison Penney, an Arizona native who trained at The Royal Ballet School in London, and Alli Chester, a Phoenix-area dancer who retired from the stage in March after five seasons with the company.
Artistic Director Daniela Cardim presented both awards. Of Penney, Cardim said: "Madison has stepped up, jumping into a principal role she had not been casted for initially. She was able to grow in the role and deliver beautiful performances. There is still a lot of room for growth for this dancer, so I hope this prize will not only acknowledge her accomplishments but also encourage her to keep working hard and developing as an artist."
Penney committed to ballet at age 8, earned top honors at the World Ballet Competition and Youth America Grand Prix, and graduated from The Royal Ballet School in 2022. She danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet and Atlanta Ballet before returning to Arizona.
Chester began her training with The School of Ballet Arizona at age 12, later continued at Houston Ballet Academy's Professional Program, and rejoined Ballet Arizona's Studio Company in 2020 before accepting a full company contract in 2021. Cardim described her as "an extremely versatile dancer" who is "casted in almost every Ballet we do, whether classical or contemporary."
The Hazel Hare Award was established in 2018 and honors two dancers each season whose spirit reflects the dedication of Hazel Hare, a Ballet Arizona supporter since 1996. Through her estate, the Hazel A.S. Hare Charitable Trust arranged an endowment of more than $4 million, the largest single gift in Ballet Arizona's history. The Scottsdale Independent reported that the company was founded in 1986 and that a prior Dance With Me Gala raised $320,000 for the company's performances and education programs.
Ballet Arizona has published a Q&A with Chester reflecting on her five seasons and her decision to retire from the stage, available at balletaz.org.
Where to find them
- Hare Charitable Trust · haretrust.org
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- balletaz.org retrieved 13/05/2026 15:45
- Hare Charitable Trust (official site) retrieved 13/05/2026 15:45
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 13/05/2026 15:45. Every claim traces to a source.
