The Houston Ballet’s first African American Principal Dancer, Lauren Anderson is being honored through an annual scholarship fund in her name. Four underrepresented youth who aspire to be professional ballet dancers will receive a scholarship covering their full tuition and necessary tools to succeed.
Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2015) Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
Anderson began dancing at the Houston Ballet Academy at the age of 5. If not for the scholarship awarded to her, history wouldn’t have been made.
“Fifty years ago, I started at the Houston Ballet Academy on scholarship, which gave me the opportunity to begin my journey towards becoming a professional dancer. I never dreamt that I would reach the rank of Principal and wouldn’t have made it that far without initial scholarship assistance,” said Anderson. “To now have a scholarship named after me means everything. I wouldn’t be me without Houston Ballet, and I am so proud that this scholarship will give the next generation of aspiring young dancers from underrepresented communities an opportunity to reach further than they ever thought they could go.“
Photo by Geoff Winningham (1995) Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
To ensure the young dancers have an experience of a lifetime, please show your support by donating to the Lauren Anderson Young Dancer Scholarship Fund. They’ve raised $35K towards their $500K goal. Each donation will be matched dollar for dollar by Deborah and Edward Koehler. For more information on Houston Ballet, visit houstonballet.org.
SOURCE Houston Ballet
Feature Photo: Former Houston Ballet Principal Lauren Anderson as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker.Â
Photo by Jim Caldwell (2005) Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
