Joffrey Ballet student dances for children in hospitals around the world

At the tender age of three, Naiomi Bielak already knew she wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up.

“To be a dancer is really tough. I mean, rewarding but tough,” said Bielak, ballet student and founder of Smiles for All. “I go through a lot of hard work, not only in my training in school, I train after school, I go to the gym, I do whatever I need to do to make sure that my body is able to do what I need to do on stage and in class.”

Bielak’s love for ballet has taken her all the way to New York. She’s a student at the Joffrey Ballet School, being trained in all forms of dance with a foundation in classical ballet.

“I’ve been given ballet, it’s my passion, it’s what I do,”Bielak said. “Not everyone has the opportunity to do it and so why not share it with everyone.”

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And share it Bielak has. Since she was a little girl, she’s been helping to give back through the charity her mother created called Crafting for a Cure – donating craft kits to hospitals to ensure children are having a positive experience during a difficult time.

“I think I started visiting hospitals with my mother since the dawn of time,” Bielak said. “ I was always there, even when my brother was there because he was a patient.

“I would always be there too crafting and crafting with the other kids. It was incredible.”

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But as time went on, Bielak wanted to do more and take what her mother started to a new level. She founded “Smiles for All.”

“We have a team in Toronto, we have a team in New York, and we also were trying to get a team in Texas,” Bielak said. “What we do is go into hospitals as ballet dancers and we perform for children.”

Not only is Bielak a hardworking aspiring ballet dancer looking to make her mark on the world, she wants to make a difference to the children and families she visits in hospitals in Toronto, New York, and most recently, Israel.

“Honestly, people say that being on stage is the best thing. I think being on stage is one of the best things. I think another amazing thing is having the feeling of going into a hospital and performing for children,” Bielak said. “You’re face-to-face with a child or a parent and to see their emotional response to you and how you’re making their day that much better – is so empowering.”

Providing that brief distraction is what truly matters to Bielak, believing that laughter and smiles are the best medicine.