Four talented and aspiring Bermudian dancers have received scholarships and commemorative awards worth $37,500 towards their overseas studies, thanks to the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB).

Anna Clifford, Courtney Lopes, Rikkai Scott, and James Waddell were the lucky recipients and in addition, Bermudian dancers Karissa Roberts and Lauren Rowntree also received grants from the NDFB's new Professional Development Fund.

Miss Clifford received the $7,500 L. John Profit Commemorative Award, sponsored by BF&M. She will study modern ballet at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as part of her development as a professional dancer, and in preparation for what she hopes will be a fulfilling career in the arts.

Miss Lopes received the Patricia Calnan Commemorative Award. Worth $15,000, it is supported by 'Friends and Family of the NDFB'.

Miss Lopes, for whom world-renowned choreographer Jessica Lang created a special piece entitled 'Wally', is entering the second year of her three-year Bachelor of Fine Arts programme in dance and dance management at SUNY Purchase, New York.

Rikkai Scott received the Georgine Mary Russell Hill Scholarship. Worth $7,500, and sponsored by the Montpelier Re Foundation, it will assist the 18-year-old dancer as he enters the London Contemporary Dance School in the UK in September to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in contemporary dance.

James Waddell received the Madame Ana Roje Commemorative Award. Worth $7500, it is also sponsored by the Montpelier Re Foundation. Mr. Waddell is in the second year of his three-year Bachelor of Arts (Hons) programme at the Central School of Ballet in London, England.

Miss Roberts received a grant from the Professional Development Fund, which is supported by Partner Re, to attend a Pilates certification course in North Carolina. An alumna of DanceBermuda and former Patricia Calnan Commemorative Award recipient, Miss Roberts is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she gained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in contemporary modern dance.

She is currently dancing with the Kinetic Works Dance Company in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is also working towards a certification in Stott Pilates Mat Classes. She plans to use Pilates to help her students further develop their potential as dancers and athletes.

Miss Rowntree received a grant from the Professional Development Fund to attend a teacher workshop at the Broadway Dance Centre in New York City. A cum laude graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, she performed at the American College Dance Festival, and worked with New Orleans-based Tsunami Dance Company in the US before returning to Bermuda to join the faculty of the In Motion School of Dance.

In announcing the winners, NDFB chairman Don Kramer thanked contributing sponsors and supporters for their generous backing, in various forms, of the Foundation's mission "to help raise the standard of dance excellence in Bermuda by providing world-class training to the Island's dancers, teachers and choreographers".

They include the Montpelier Re Foundation, BF&M Insurance, Butterfield Bank, Renaissance Re, Partner Re, the Bermuda Arts Council, and the Peter Leitner Scholarship Trust.

"The National Dance Foundation deeply values our partnerships with Bermuda's business community, and with the many committed individuals who support our mission," Mr. Kramer said.

In total, the NDFB has distributed more than $87,000 this year to Bermudians in the form of merit scholarships, financial assistance and professional development grants.

To learn more about the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda and its programmes visit website www.dancebermuda.org