Catherine shared "Whatever the variety, dance requires hard work, talent, & dedication. These traits, & many others possessed by dancers, make dance scholarships a great way to reward students who are likely to succeed in college & in the working world."
Eligibility: Nassau County Florida High school students 9-12 grade with experience in dance.
Scholarship Award: The Amelia Island Dance Festival will present scholarship money to support a student who plans to pursue an education or career related to dance after graduation. Our goal is to award and recognize a student with exemplary skill or interest in dance.
Application Requirements:
I found my passion for dance because I love to move to the music. Dancing takes me outside of myself and all I can feel is the music. I feel free. Also, I believe that dancing is the closest thing to flying. And who doesn’t love superpowers? Because I think dancing is one. It is a super power that you cannever master. You are always learning and growing but that’s what makes it so amazing. The grind to push yourself harder and to do better never stops. The drive is exhilarating. Dancing is exhilarating.
I was inspired to become a dancer because to me it is my way of freeing myself.Nothing else in my life compares to how free that I feel when I can dance. I absolutely love every aspect of it. It is somehow one of the most challenging things, especially for your body, yet it’s that challenge that makes me want to become the greatest that I can be. The constant growth that you can get from it, as well as the physical and mental strengthening, inspires me so much to work even harder and get even stronger. I love it not just for it’s physical aspects but also because it makes me feel happy spiritually and i’m not even entirely sure that there is a way to explain that feeling in words. That’s why I love to dance. Because when I dance it feels like my rawest and truest form of self expression. It makes me feel so alive and makes me feel as if the realities of life are somehow lifted and I can fly. I think that it is so so magical to somehow be able to feel like you can fly but also if you choose to, to be able to feel strong and grounded as well. To me it is the most compelling art form to watch not only because it takes a strong body, but it also requires a strong mind and a strong sense of freedom as well as a strong sense of oneself. It helps me feel closer to my truest self as well as express myself in a way that no other words or thoughts can. To be able to have that much amount of strength, determination, focus, self-expression, and somehow freedom— to me is such a unique set of characteristics to be put together. Those attributes are ones that I want to figure out how to put together. Dancing is my way of constantly trying to discover how to do that. I can dance to not only express my emotion but also let it out whether that emotion is me feeling sad or happy or anything else which is so beautiful to me. I never want to feel like I am standing still, or not progressing, and to me dance is my way of constantly challenging myself as a performer and as a person to be better and do better. Not compared to anybody else but compared to me. It lets me and reminds to feel things from my heart but also at the same time to work hard and I am so grateful to have a body that allows me to do that. I plan to keep on dancing for as long as my body will let me, and I am so grateful that I have a body that allows me to explore such a beautiful art form. I love it with all my heart.reminds to feel things from my heart but also at the same time to work hard and I am so grateful to have a body that allows me to do that. I plan to keep on dancing for as long as my body will let me, and I am so grateful that I have a body that allows me to explore such a beautiful art form. I love it with all my heart.
