Claire Ashcraft 14 ~ Elaine Harper Memorial Scholarship

Claire Ashcraft has been dancing ballet since she was three years old. She currently is a member of the Collin County Ballet Theater Youth Ensemble as an apprentice under the direction of Kirt and Linda Hathaway. This summer she is excited to attend the School of American Ballet's five week intensive in New York City. The previous summer she attended American Ballet Theater's intensive in New York City as well.

Claire's goals for the next few years are to work on her technique and performance quality and to be accepted to dance at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and visual arts in Dallas. 

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Thank you so much for awarding me with the Elaine Harper Memorial Scholarship! Thanks to the help of this scholarship, I was able to attend the School of American Ballet’s 2012 five week summer intensive in New York City. I am so grateful of the wonderful experience I had!

This intensive exceeded my expectations in every way. When I arrived to the intensive, I was overwhelmed by how amazing the dancers were that I would get to spend the summer with. Being around these dancers already made me improve and strive to work my hardest. I thoroughly enjoyed each class I took and improved very much from the large amount of attention and corrections my instructors gave me. The instructors impressed me by how much attention they gave each student and the way that they physically showed every combination that they taught. This summer intensive will help me this year because my technique has improved greatly, allowing me to have a better execution in everything I do this year. I also had a great time in New York and met a lot of great friends there. Once again, I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given!

Thank you, Claire Ashcraft