Record tying $6,000 in dance scholarships awarded

Anna Craddock, Karissa Kralik and Mariana DeMarco took top honors

June 18, 2009 | 10:36 AM
The Ballet Education and Scholarship Fund, Inc. has announced the top winners of its annual scholarship competition held May 31 in conjunction with the BESFI Intensive Summer Workshop. The competition was judged by a panel of six adjudicators. Winner of the $850 top prize with the highest score in either division was Junior Division champion Anna Craddock of Stony Brook. Recipients of the $500 second level scholarships were Marissa Whiteman, Alexandra Palma and Mikhaila Whiteman — all of St. James.

In the Senior Division top honors went to Karissa Kralik of Centereach and Mariana DeMarco of Smithtown. They were followed by Alexandra Harrington of Port Jefferson and Victoria Loza of Nesconset. A total of 15 scholarships were awarded.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the BESFI Intensive Summer Workshop is a six-week classical dance program held annually during the last two weeks of July and four weeks in August. Expanded to three divisions in 2008, Advanced, Advanced/Intermediate and Intermediate the daily classes are given by renowned instructors drawn from major ballet companies such as American Ballet Theatre, Greek National Opera Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and the NYC Opera Ballet.

According to Valia Seiskaya, artistic director of BESFI, "The landmark expansion to three divisions allows BESFI to provide a wider range of choices for younger students ages 8-11. The Intermediate Program is available in both two and three classes/day formats. Younger students will now have an expanded opportunity to study with world class instructors in a customizable attendance format that can be tailored from one to six weeks in duration with classes attended daily or on alternating days."

Arts & Lifestyles

	Winners of this year’s Father’s Day Contest
	My father’s ghost: A Father’s Day Remembrance
	Symposium celebrates Darwin‘s 200th birthday
	20th century fashion at Northport Historical Society

Extras

	comments to this article
	e-mail this article link to a friend
	letter to the editor about this article
	print this article

Limited workshop space is still available. For information and applications go to www.besfi.com. To make an appointment for an audition or to speak to a representative, call 584-0192.

Search The Site