Career Transition for Dancers Awards Five Recipients $10,000 To Support Their Education To Progress the Next Steps of Their Careers
New York, NY (December 15, 2023) – The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly the Actors Fund), the national human services organization supporting the needs of those working in performing arts and entertainment, is proud to announce five recipients of the 2023 Alex Dubé Scholarship Program. This year, the Entertainment Community Fund awarded a $10,000 scholarship each to Rochelle Chang, Talya Epstein, Lisa Jantze, Edgar Page and Hollie Wright.
To download headshots, click here.
Through The Alex Dubé Scholarship Program, Career Transition For Dancers supports the education of dancers to build their next professional platforms. These one-time awards of up to $10,000 per recipient are distributed annually to dancers enrolled in accredited graduate degree programs to assist in tuition payment. For more information on the Alex Dubé Scholarship Program, please visit: Alex Dubé Scholarship Program.
“It’s always an honor to lead the Alex Dubé Scholarship Committee, and I want to congratulate all of this year’s amazing applicants—especially this year’s Scholarship recipients, Rochelle, Talya, Lisa, Edgar and Hollie. They continue to embrace their lives as dancers as they transition to these new phases of their careers, and I look forward to the wonderful things they accomplish next,” shared Bebe Neuwirth, founder of The Dancers’ Resource.
The Dancers’ Resource was Ms. Neuwirth’s response to the unique situation dancers face as a consequence of the physically demanding nature of their work, coupled with the significant financial challenges of earning a living in dance. The Dancers’ Resource provides individual and group support for dancers dealing with injuries; referrals for health care and health insurance; information and advocacy with workers’ compensation and disability insurance; educational seminars on injury prevention, nutrition and wellness, financial planning and more; emergency financial assistance; connection with other dancers to share experiences, resources and advice; and more.
Throughout the past year, the Fund has provided $122,000 in scholarships to dancers. Scholarships are available for certificate programs, for undergraduate and graduate students. To learn more about scholarship opportunities for dancers, please register for or log in to the Fund’s Client Portal.
The 2023 Alex Dubé Scholarship Recipients:
Rochelle Chang Masters in Curriculum Studies, Interdisciplinary Program, University of Hawai’i, College of Education
Rochelle Chang (she/her), a former ballet dancer, is an elementary school teacher pursuing an MEd in Curriculum Studies, at the University of Hawaiʻi, College of Education. She enjoys incorporating musical elements into her lessons and classroom to make the learning environment an effective and fun place to learn. By studying education and sharing her love of music and dance, Rochelle strives to inspire her students to always follow their dreams.
“I am grateful that my retirement from dance wasn’t due to an injury or other issues, but instead due to the fact that I have always wanted to return back home as a teacher to give back to my community.”
Talya Epstein, Master of Social Work at Smith College
Talya Epstein (they/them) is a dance artist turned somatic healing practitioner currently pursuing a Masters in Clinical Social Work at Smith College School of Social Work. They are a Body Talk Practitioner and a Somatic Experiencing practitioner-in-training. Dance honors include a 2015 Bessie nomination for outstanding performer in Larissa Velez-Jackson’s Star Crap Method and a 2017 dance WEB scholarship to attend Impulstanz International Dance Festival in Vienna. Talya has performed in the work of Simone Forti at the Museum of Modern Art as well as with choreographers Miguel Gutierrez, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Heather Kravas, Juliana May, Phoebe Osborne, Melinda Ring, Larissa Velez-Jackson and Will Rawls. They hold a BFA from The Boston Conservatory (2008).
“Pursuing a Master of Social Work is a crucial step in becoming the therapist I want to be: one who can weave together the benefits of psychodynamic, somatic, and trauma-informed interventions that are LGBTQIA+ affirming.”
Lisa Jantze, Master of Science in Nursing, Columbia School of Nursing
Lisa’s (she/her) 20-year career has spanned across ballet companies, precision dance, musical theater and film and TV. With a long-held interest in health and wellness, she studied International Public Health as an undergraduate student while performing in New York, England and Germany. Ms. Jantzie is attending Columbia School of Nursing MDE/DNP program and is working towards a career as a nurse practitioner.
“My goal as a healthcare provider is to help people live healthy, meaningful and productive lives by providing primary and preventative healthcare and education in low resource communities and settings.”
Edgar Page, Dance MFA, Hollins University
Detroit native Edgar L. Page (he/him) comes from legacies celebrating the African Diaspora and Black Modern Dance traditions. He earned his BA in Dance from Western Michigan University followed by a season with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Second Company. He was a principal dancer with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, touring domestically and internationally for a decade. With graceful prowess, Mr. Page shifted his focus in 2018, establishing Edgar L. Page: Feel the Movement, an intersectional, multigenerational movement arts initiative. Mr. Page was a 2020 Dance/USA DILT mentee, the 2021 Denver Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture for Innovation, and is currently a National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron (NCCAkron) Fellow. Mr. Page is completing his MFA at Hollins University while serving as Assistant Professor of Dance at Grand Valley State University.
“Entering grad school at this time will allow me to fortify my creative and teaching practices towards my long-range career goal of successfully securing tenure at the university level.”
Hollie Wright, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts with a Performance Creation Concentration, Goddard College
Hollie E. Wright (she/her), a Philadelphia native, began her professional career at The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco!). Her Broadway credits include working with Maurice Hines in Hot Feet, performing the lead before the show closed, and more recently performing and touring with the original cast of Thoughts of a Colored Man. Other favorites regionally and touring include The Color Purple (First National Tour), Oklahoma (first Black Dream Laurey in a regional theater), Amazing Grace and Cabin In The Sky. She can be seen in the films In The Heights and Beauty, both on Netflix. Having earned a BFA in Dance Education, Ms. Wright is Jazz Chair at The Ailey School, and on faculty at Montclair State University, NYU, Manhattan School of Music and American Ballet Theater Summer Series. She has also taught at SUNY Purchase, Walt Disney Productions and Harlem School of the Arts. She has choreographed productions for corporate, regional theatre and academic settings in the US and abroad.
“[Study at Goddard will] support my study of Ancient Egyptian Spirituality and Movement and how it pertains to Theater and Social dance of today with a side of musical theater and script analysis. I will develop the tools to help me connect the past to the present in a spiritual and real way and help artists on their journey to become who they are supposed to become.”