Support Kayla’s Summer Training to Achieve Dance Excellence

My name is Kayla Danielle Raines I am fundraising for the opportunity to attend TDA Prep (Chicago, Il) and Alvin Ailey Extension (New York, NY) Summer Intensives. I am a recent graduate of Martha Ellen Stilwell School of Performing Arts in Clayton County Georgia as a Dance Major. I maintained a 4.21 GPA, was in the top 10% of my graduating class (#8), graduated with multiple honors, was accepted to over 40 colleges and universities, received over 1.9 million dollars in scholarships (over four years), was a member of the Varsity Dance Team all four years (GHSA A-AA 2022, 2023, and 2024 State Champions), participated in community engagement and service, I hold membership in the BETA Club, National High School Honor Society, National High School Dance Honor Society, STEM Club, Repertory Company (4 years), National Society of High School Scholars, Black Atlanta Ballerinas, and The Black Artist Dance Collective. I am also the 2024 Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt (Gainesville Chapter) winner and a My Brown Ballerina Ambassador.

I have been accepted to the TDA Prep and Alvin Ailey Summer Intensives and will be attending to prepare myself for my college dance career in the fall. I was accepted to many prestigious college dance programs throughout the U.S. and have chosen to attend Howard University in August as a Dance BFA Major and Computer Science Minor. My summer training is out of state, so financially I need assistance in order to be able to afford to attend and reach my summer training goals. All donations will be used to offset costs of tuition, housing, food, travel, and transportation costs. Your generous support is needed and appreciated.

By participating in these prestigious summer intensives, I will have the opportunity to be trained by master instructors and guest artists who are professional dancers or were professionally trained. My goal is to be a professional dancer and the ability to train this summer before going off to Howard will ensure that I am prepared and ready for the next stop in my journey. I will receive 7.5-hours of training each day, 5-days a week. This is an incredible opportunity for me as a dancer and an artist.