PORTSMOUTH — At 13, Mary Jane “MJ” Milici received the pair of shoes she had been waiting for — light pink satin pointe shoes, a rite of passage for a young ballerina.

She would later remember not just the shoes, but what they seemed to promise.

“Danielle told me I had potential and it filled me with thrill and determination!” MJ once wrote, referring to Danielle Genest, now the artistic and executive director of Newport Contemporary Ballet.

Years later, another young dancer is being given a chance to pursue that same promise — in MJ’s name.

Newport Contemporary Ballet has named Jamie Jasse Pacheco the first recipient of the MJ Milici Ballet Scholarship, established by the Milici family following the death earlier this year of the 26-year-old Portsmouth native.

MJ died from MELAS — mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes — a rare mitochondrial disease. She attended Portsmouth High School and later enrolled at Salve Regina University before becoming ill.

But before illness changed the course of her life, there was dance.

It had been one of MJ’s great loves from an early age, and the Newport Academy — now The Academy at Newport Contemporary Ballet — became an especially important part of her life. She trained there, performed leading roles and treasured the annual return of what she called her “favorite season”: Nutcracker season.

The scholarship created in her memory is intended to make it possible for other young dancers to experience some of what MJ loved so deeply.

For its first recipient, the connection is particularly fitting.

Jamie entered the Newport Contemporary Ballet community through its New Dancer Program during the 2021-22 school year. After two years in that program, she joined the Academy in the fall of 2023 and began taking advantage of its many opportunities to perform.

She has danced in the Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff for the past two years, appeared in Genest’s “Are the Crayons Quitting?” and participated in the Academy’s End of Year Showcase.

Genest described Jamie as a dancer who combines a love of the art with unusual determination.

“Jamie loves to dance and brings an incredible dedication and fierce diligence each time she steps into the studio,” Genest said. “She approaches her training with determination, excitement and drive, and we have loved watching her confidence and artistry grow throughout her time with us.”

The scholarship will provide financial assistance so Jamie can continue that training.

But its meaning became especially clear in a note she sent to MJ’s family after learning she had been selected.

“Thank you so much for helping me continue to dance this year!” Jamie wrote. “I really love dancing at the Academy and this scholarship will change everything for me.”

Then she made the family a promise.

“I will dance in honor of Mary Jane and with pride.”

For the Milici family, those words carried special meaning.

“Mary Jane loved Newport Academy and everything about dancing,” the Milici family said in a statement. “Knowing that another young dancer will be able to continue doing what MJ loved so much is a beautiful way to honor her memory.”

Carrying forward her spirit

Brooke DiFrancesco, the ballet’s Academy and education director, said Jamie’s growth as a dancer made her an especially appropriate choice for the inaugural award.

“We cannot think of a more fitting recipient to carry forward the spirit of this scholarship and to honor MJ’s memory,” she said.

The family hopes Jamie will be only the first of many dancers helped by the scholarship in the years ahead.

In that way, something MJ loved can continue beyond her own time in the studio and onstage — passed from one young dancer to another.

MJ once wrote about getting those first pointe shoes at 13 and the determination she felt when someone told her she had potential.

Now, in her name, another dancer has been told something similar: Keep going.

And Jamie has promised that when she does, she’ll be dancing for MJ, too.