Five Bermudian dancers have been given $35,000 in financial support for the next academic year by the National Dance Foundation.

They will be studying at top dance institutions in the US and UK.

James Waddell, 19, has won the $15,000 Patricia Calnan Commemorative Award, sponsored by PartnerRe and the friends and family of Ms Calnan, a former dancer and journalist who was a supporter of the Bermuda arts scene.

Mr. Waddell is entering his third and final year at the Central School of Ballet in London.

According to a press release from the Dance Foundation, he has had the opportunity to train with master teachers and choreographers there and has earned the school's highest marks for partnering and top marks for overall performance.

He received his formative training at the Bermuda School of Russian Ballet and was awarded the Madam Ana Roje Commemorative Award in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.

Meanwhile that award, which is valued at $7,500 and sponsored by The Montpelier Re Foundation, has been awarded this year to 19-year-old Anna Clifford.

Mme Roje, a Yugoslav ballerina and teacher, was the founder of the Bermuda Ballet Association (BBA). She staged the first Bermuda Civic Ballet production in 1972 with her husband Oscar Harmos.

Ms Clifford is entering the second year of a three-year Bachelor of Arts modern ballet degree course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) in Glasgow, Scotland.

According to the Dance Foundation, her teachers have been impressed with her mature and focused approach to her classes, noting that she has made good progress technically, gaining in both strength and the understanding of the demands of ballet and contemporary technique.

The L. John Profit Commemorative Award has been handed this year to 24-year-old Jelani Veney who is entering his fourth and final year as a Bachelor of Fine Arts performance dance major at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada.

Mr. Profit was the secretary and treasurer of the BBA and the award in his honour is valued at $7,500 and sponsored by BF&M Insurance.

According to the Dance Foundation, Mr. Veney's instructors have watched him develop, evolve and, in the past year begin to transform himself from a young dancer with tremendous potential and talent into a passionate emerging artist. He received his formative training at the Jackson School of Performing Arts and the School of Russian Ballet in Bermuda.

The Georgine Mary Russell Hill Scholarship, valued at $7,500 and sponsored by The Montpelier Re Foundation, has been awarded to 19-year-old Rikkai Scott. Ms Hill was a lifelong patron of the arts in Bermuda and was a co-founder of the Bermuda Art Association.

Mr. Scott is entering his second year at the London Contemporary Dance School (The Place) in London. According to the Dance Foundation, he has participated in a rigorous curriculum and performances and has impressed his teachers with his determination and improvement in ballet and contemporary technique.

He received his formative training at United Dance Productions in Bermuda and was also the recipient of the Georgine Mary Russell Hill Scholarship in 2009-1010.

In addition, a bursary award of $5,000 has been granted to 19-year-old Courtney Lopes, who is entering her third year in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Dance programme at the Conservatory of Dance at State University of New York's Purchase College.

National Dance Foundation Chairman Don Kramer said: "We congratulate these five talented young people on their achievements. Since the inception of the National Dance Foundation seven years ago, we have watched them grow and develop into the dynamic performers they are today. They are a testament to the dance schools here in Bermuda who have provided them with a solid foundation upon which to build their technique.

"We are also delighted that three of the scholarship recipients are young men. It isn't easy to convince boys to pursue dance. James, Jelani and Rikkai are proof of the exciting directions a career in dance may take you."

Mr. Kramer thanked the sponsors of the awards for their support. The total scholarship and financial aid support provided to Bermuda's dancers this year by the National Dance Foundation now stands at $88,000.