Juan-Pablo goes to Ailey Campaign

HELP JUAN-PABLO COMPLETE HIS BFA AT FORDHAM/AILEY IN NYC THROUGH THIS TUITION CAMPAIGN
A determined young man from Trinidad and Tobago by the name of Juan-Pablo Alba Dennis has set his sights on mastering the art of contemporary dance. At just 20 years old his choreography and skill has been exhibited for dignitaries in Trinidad, China and London. He is now going a step further aiming to get a BFA in dance at a prestigious University in New York with Alvin Aliey through the Fordham University /Ailey BFA dance program.

He has hosted , a concert, For the Love of Dance,
last August but must continue to raise funds in order to complete his studies. His dreams of becoming a professional dancer/choreographer can be realized with your help. Make a donation, tell a friend and be a part of this fundraising effort!


Above Juan-Pablo age 16 preparing for a recital at a summer intensive at Ballet Hispanico in NYC
Tap out Loud Debut in Fiesta Plaza, Trinidad 2010

MINI BIO
Juan Pablo Alba Dennis has been on stage since the age of 8 and dancing tap, jazz, ballet and modern in Trinidad and Tobago where male dancers are almost non-existent since age 11.
After two consecutive summer intensives on scholarship in NYC and winning a full scholarship from the Dai Ailian Foundation to dance in Beijing,China at the Beijing Dance Academy for one year he was accepted at 3 Universities in the US to pursue his BFA in Dance and chose to attend the Fordham /Ailey Dance Program at the Fordham University.
Juan-Pablo self choreographed solo displaying Chinese classical technique learnt in Beijing
For all those who know the dance world you would appreciate what an accomplishment it was to be one of 24 dancers accepted into the freshmen year from thousands of applicants and further to that one of only 3 male dancers chosen for the program which he began in fall of this year. However being an international student there is little funding offered at the institution to assist him financially and the fees are astronomical.
Juan-Pablo is the eternal optimist and has been applying for grants and financial assistance at every turn. Unfortunately no funding has become available to him thus far. He has managed with the help of his aunt and godmother Gillian Dennis and her husband Michael Nyarko to secure a loan that has helped with his first semester and is still awaiting word regarding a possible loan to fund his second semester with their assistance as well. This has been a daunting task yet Juan Pablo continues to get A's and B's and was chosen to open the Ailey Fall program in his first performance in NYC this past November.
This campaign is to help raise funds to assist Juan-Pablo to finance his studies in NY so that he can complete his BFA.

Please give generously and spread the word so that together we can help this young man's dreams of becoming a professional dancer/choreographer become a reality.

Here's how you can donate:
1000 people donate $28.43 OR
100 people donate $284.30 OR
50 people donate $568.60

See Juan-Pablo's first choreography age 17 - Where We Stand

Juan-Pablo age 20 performing with the Metamorphosis dance company in Trinidad in their 2013 season

FAQS
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SO FAR?-Applied to four Universities in the US including Fordham. Auditioned and got accepted to 3 including Fordham with a $7500.00 a year Artistic merit award form Ailey. Hosted my first fundraiser - For the Love of Dance raising $10,000.00 in August. Applied for funding from Local government Ministries in Trinidad with no success to date. Applied for a loan to pay for the first semester with little success until I received assistance from my aunt and godmother Gillian Dennis and her husband and Michael Nyarko which helped me to cover the first semester and am awaiting possible further financial assistance with their support to cover the second semester.
Completed my first semester with a 3.5 GPA. Now launching Juan Pablo goes to Ailey GoFundMe tuition campaign.
HOW MUCH FINANCIAL AID WILL YOU BE RECEIVING? My estimated aid so far will be $7,500.00 per year, That amount subtracted from my yearly tuition leaves a balance of $49,361 per year which I am committed to raising every year.
CAN YOUR PARENTS HELP YOU PAY FOR SCHOOL? NO. My Parents are divorced but they help me out the very best they can. My mother lives in Trinidad where the exchange rate per Trinidadian dollar is 6 TTD- 1 USD and with the economy the way it is, and as a single mother of 3 she simply does not have that kind of money available. My father lives in Spain where unemployment is rampant and he has been unemployed for the past 3 years. The cost of one semester's fees is equivalent to the cost of the mortgage on his apartment which he has 20 years to pay off hence his and his family's lack of understanding that this degree even makes sense for me to be pursuing.
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN B? My plan B is, if this does not work, is to try something else that will help me to finish my program at Fordham /Ailey and to keep trying until I succeed.