The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship: Empowering Dancers Through Opportunity
The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship Fund, offered through Francisco Gella Dance Works, provides financial support to aspiring dancers, ensuring that talent and motivation, not financial circumstances, determine access to quality dance education. This scholarship honors the legacy of Joan Myers Brown, a visionary in the dance world, by opening doors for those historically excluded from dance or facing significant barriers.
Honoring a Legacy: Joan Myers Brown
The scholarship is named after Joan Myers Brown, a legendary artist and visionary who founded the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) in 1970 and The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in 1960. She also serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance, an organization she established in 1991. Her influence extends far beyond her own companies, shaping the landscape of dance for decades. Francisco Gella Dance Works renamed the scholarship fund in December 2021, during Ms. Brown’s ninetieth birthday month, in recognition of her numerous accomplishments. Francisco Gella, Founding Artistic Director of FGDW, who danced for PHILADANCO under Ms. Brown’s leadership from 1998 to 2002, acknowledges Brown’s profound impact: “My artistic development and the life lessons I learned while dancing with the company and the mentorship of Joan Myers Brown shaped me in so many ways and continue to positively influence me personally and professionally to this day.”
In addition to awards granted as part of the named scholarship fund, Francisco Gella Dance Works also offers two special full scholarships annually to any of our programs (except the Preprofessional Dance Institute). These are named the Joan Myers Brown Emergence Scholarships and will be awarded to black dancers at the International Association of Blacks in Dance scholarship and company auditions held each year during the month of January.
The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship Fund and the Joan Myers Brown Emergence Scholarships pledge to continue Ms. Brown’s legacy of opening up access and promoting equity for those historically excluded from dance and those who still face barriers. Today and always, we celebrate Joan Myers Brown; an unforgettable, incredible, iconic, influential, and trailblazing Black woman who has transformed the lives of many.
The Fund's Core Beliefs and Purpose
The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship Fund is based on the belief that when given an opportunity to learn and do what they love, every student with motivation can succeed. Therefore every student deserves at least one chance to try. The Fund recognizes that not all students have the financial means or support to participate in training and educational dance programs that will give them access to the information they need in pursuit of their goals. To level the playing field of opportunity and identify talent, Francisco Gella Dance Works offers financial support through full and partial tuition scholarships to eligible applicants of all backgrounds for its intensives and workshops.
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The scholarship program aims to address inherent biases that may prevent talented and hardworking students from accessing the resources they need to achieve their full potential. Often, only students already attending intensives and conventions, and who can afford to be ‘seen’ and recognized are the ones to benefit from the very opportunities that propel dancers into the best schools, colleges, and jobs. Those who can afford to attend dance training programs are frequently the ones who benefit the most. The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship Fund is our organization’s effort to decrease the likelihood that inherent bias will keep any talented and hard-working student from accessing resources to achieve what is possible for themselves.
To achieve organizational goals of access to opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds and experiences, the scholarship program is an inclusive and open process. This allows the faculty and staff to identify students who may otherwise be overlooked. Applications are evaluated equally on both merit (achievement and potential for success) and demonstrated financial need.
Eligibility Requirements
Scholarship Decisions Are Based on a Combined Evaluation of Financial Need as Well as the Demonstrated Potential for Success as a Future Professional Dancer. Applicants for Both the Equity Fund and the Emergence Scholarships Must Meet the Additional Following Criteria:
To be eligible for the Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship, applicants must meet specific criteria that assess both their financial need and their potential as dancers.
- Age: All applicants must be between the ages of 7 and 22 years old at the time of application. Keep in mind that the eligibility requirement for the Emergence Scholarship is 12-22.
- Dance Experience: Applicants must be intermediate or advanced dancers, having at least two years of consistent technical training and taking a minimum of three hours of ballet per week.
- Ethnicity: For the Equity Scholarship Fund, dancers may apply from any ethnic or racial background. Emergence Scholarships are designated for Black or Brown dancers.
- Citizenship: About This Scholarship The Joan Myers Brown Emergence Scholarships are two full scholarships awarded annually to Black or Brown dancers who are citizens of the United States, ages 12-22.
Application Requirements
The application process requires several components designed to provide a comprehensive view of the applicant's skills, potential, and financial situation.
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Technique Video or Solo Performance: Applicants must submit a video showcasing their technique in class or a solo performance. A video showing work at the ballet barre or across the floor is preferred. The ballet class video should show the student in proper form-fitting ballet attire and must be shot with the video focused close-up on the student applicant. Ideally, the class video will be shot when the student is taking a private lesson. As a less-desired alternative, you may submit a solo. Ideally, the solo should showcase the student’s technique through their movement. This will allow the scholarship selection committee to evaluate both the training itself and the execution of their training. The committee is evaluating the artistic capacity and potential of the student. The video should be no more than six months old to accurately reflect the applicant's current skill level. If the student has shown significant improvement in the months leading up to applying, it will benefit the dancer’s chances of receiving a scholarship if they submit a more recent video.
Personal Essay: A personal essay is required, addressing the following three questions:
- How has dance enriched my life?
- What do I hope to learn as a result of receiving this scholarship?
- What will my participation contribute to the other students’ experience who will be attending the program I hope to attend?
If the student is young, the parent may help the student write the essay but it should still reflect the dancer’s ideas.
Letter of Financial Need: A letter detailing the circumstances for why the scholarship support is needed and why financial hardship would keep you from attending without it. The written documentation needs to be supported by facts, and if needed by a reference who can vouch for your stated financial need.
Letter of Support: A letter of support from a current teacher or director. The individual that provides the recommendation must be able to provide detail on the student’s current ability level, aptitude for learning, performance in class, potential for success, and individual motivation to succeed.
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In addition to these materials, applicants may need to submit a headshot and other supporting documents as specified by the scholarship guidelines.
Application Deadlines and Notification
Priority will be given to students applying by the Early Summer and Early Fall Deadlines, therefore applicants are encouraged to meet the early deadlines to increase their chances of receiving a scholarship award. Scholarships awarded for those applying by the late deadline are dependent on available funds. Decisions will not be made until after each deadline has passed.
The Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship Fund has specific deadlines for its summer programs:
- Early Deadline for Summer Programs: 1st round review and priority in awarding scholarships
- Late Deadline for Summer Programs: 2nd round review and awarded from any remaining scholarship funds
Applicants submitting by the Spring and Fall Early Deadline will be notified of scholarship decisions within three weeks following the early deadline. Applicants submitting by the Spring and Fall Late Deadline will be notified of scholarship decisions within two weeks following the late deadline.
It's important to note that applicants must submit a scholarship application for EACH program in which they are applying for funding. While many of your submission materials may be applicable to more than one scholarship request - each program needs its own application. As you will very likely not be awarded scholarships for every program you apply for, you are encouraged to pick the one (or at the most, two) you’d most like to attend. The statement must be no longer than 1 page double-spaced with 1 inch margins and 12 point font. Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 300 MB. Statement of NeedA statement of financial need from a parent or a guardian. This must provide convincing evidence that the student has genuine financial need. You may include additional supporting evidence. Accepted file types: pdf, Max. file size: 300 MB. Letter of RecommendationA letter of support from a teacher. The letter should provide evidence of the student’s aptitude for dance, evaluation of motivation and work ethic, and potential for future career success. file size: 300 MB. HeadshotPlease upload a recent professional headshot in color (must be at least 300 dpi and less than 1MB). This should not be a photo of you in a dance pose. Accepted file types: jpg, jpeg, pdf, png, Max. file size: 300 MB. Merit VideoUpload a video of you performing a classical, modern, or contemporary solo. The work may be on stage or in the studio. Your solo or classical variation should be 1-3 minutes long and show you in training clothes or a costume that allows us to see your lines cleanly. Only complete links to Vimeo or YouTube will be viewed.Video PasswordPlease provide a password, if we must enter one in order to review your merit video. Please note, that if we cannot review your video in time, we may not be able to consider your scholarship request. Parental / Guardian ConsentIf the applicant is under 18 years of age, parental or guardian consent is required. Before submitting your application, review what is required. Then collect all of your information and document files. Once you have done so, return to complete the entire application to submit at one time.
Scholarship Awards and Deposit
Those selected will receive tuition awards ranging from 25% - 100%. If you receive a full scholarship, we do require a non-refundable deposit of $95 to claim and this will go towards your program expenses. For partial scholarship awards, the non-refundable deposit will be applied to your partial balance due.
Additional Scholarship Opportunities
While the Joan Myers Brown Equity Scholarship focuses specifically on dance education, numerous other scholarship opportunities exist for middle school and high school students with diverse interests and talents.
- The Brighterly Math Equity Scholarship: This scholarship provides a cash award of $500 and 6 months of free 1:1, math online lessons to help children in difficult financial situations build strong math foundations and advanced skills.
- The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: This prize celebrates young people with leadership skills who have implemented projects to help others or the environment.
- Doodle for Google: This contest gives creative students the opportunity to have their art displayed on the Google homepage, with the national winner receiving a $45,000 college scholarship plus a $50,000 school tech package.
- StudentCam: An annual competition where students can submit a short documentary video that shows critical thinking about a topic affecting the community or the nation.
- EngineerGirl Writing Contest: This contest inspires children to think and show how engineers create a better world through artwork and essays.
- Ocean Awareness Art Contest: This contest aims to inspire students to think about the importance of the ocean and display its role through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia.
- Rubincam Youth Award: This award recognizes young historians and their contributions to genealogy through narrative essays.
- World of 8 Billion Student Video Contest: This contest invites students to create a short video addressing a pressing question related to how human population growth affects the world.
- Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program: This program awards financial aid to very promising 7th-grade students based on merit, supporting 5-year, pre-college programs.
- Junior Scholars Essay Contest: Invites students in grades 6 to 8 to wrestle with big questions, challenge common assumptions, and make their case with creativity and evidence.
- The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program: Offers a unique opportunity for students in grades 6-8 with PhD mentors from top universities to work one-on-one on research projects in STEM or humanities fields.
- The Davidson Fellows Scholarship: Recognizes exceptional achievements in multiple disciplines for students 18 years old or younger.
- Action for Nature Eco-Hero Award: Recognizes students who have completed substantial environmental projects.
- C-SPAN's StudentCam competition: A national video documentary contest that encourages critical thinking about community and national issues.
- Young Filmmakers Contest: Provides valuable opportunities for scholarships for middle school students in California and nationwide. Students create 3-8 minute environmental films focusing on sustainability topics.
- Paradigm Challenge: Offers substantial scholarships for middle school students in California and worldwide through an innovative competition focused on solving real-world problems.
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