CLOSE to $40,000 was awarded to worthy recipients by the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB) this week.

Four Bermudians received three major Bermuda Ballet Association commemorative awards and a National Dance Foundation of Bermuda Scholarship.

Jacqueline Mayor, 20, was awarded the Patricia Calnan Commemorative Award amounting to $15,000 in support of her studies at Merseyside School of Dance and Drama in Liverpool, England.

Ms Mayor was on the faculty on DanceBermuda 2008, a three-week international summer dance intensive for dancers between the ages of eight and 13, run in partnership with American Ballet Theatre.

Don Kramer, chairman of the National Dance Foundation board of directors, said that the Foundation was proud to have Ms Mayor on the faculty and that "Jackie's Latin dance choreography was a highlight of DanceBermuda this summer at City Hall, at the August 22 workshop performance".

The $7,500 Madame Ana Roje Commemorative Award, funded by the Montpelier Re Foundation, was awarded to 17-year-old James Waddell, who is studying at Central School of Ballet in London. The award was created to support a dancer or teacher studying at a recognised professional dance institution who demonstrated excellence in ballet and the commitment to further his or her training professionally.

Seventeen-year-old Courtney Lopes, who is currently studying at SUNY Purchase in New York, was awarded the L. John Profit Commemorative Award, of $7,500, funded by BF&M. This award was created to support a dancer, teacher or choreographer studying at a recognised professional institution and who is willing to contribute to the Bermuda dance community after having completed their training and gained sufficient international experience.

A new scholarship of $7,500 was awarded for the first time this year to 19-year-old Sierra Renae Robinson to support her studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Georgine Mary Russell Hill Scholarship, also funded by the Montpelier Re Foundation, was created to award a dancer, teacher or choreographer who supports the National Dance Foundation's mission to raise the standard of dance excellence in Bermuda and demonstrates the talent, skill and commitment to pursue advanced dance training at a recognised university or another professional programme overseas.

The Bermuda Ballet Association Commemorative Awards are named after Patricia Calnan, Madame Ana Roje and L. John Profit, founding members of the Association, who were pivotal in its development. These awards pay tribute to both their individual contributions to Bermuda's dance community and the 40-year history of the Bermuda Ballet Association.

According to the Association, the awards and scholarship were determined following a "stringent selection process, which included a written submission, an interview before the National Dance Foundation's Scholarship Committee, and an audition conducted by representatives of the American Ballet Theatre".

Additional bursary funding for dance study in Bermuda or abroad were awarded to Wanda Maxwell, a dance teacher at CedarBridge Academy, Shaydrina Hassell, a student at West Virginia University, and Jelani Veney, a student at Ryerson University's Dance Programme in Canada, to assist with their financial need and in light of their commitment to dance.

"These dancers have every reason to be proud of their accomplishments to date", said Mr. Kramer.

"We look forward with great anticipation to hearing about the progress of these young people and believe that this is just the beginning of a brilliant future for dance education in Bermuda."