Ballet in the Big Apple – speaking at my first conference!

Hi everyone,

Thank you for looking at my fundraising page! My name is Kylie and I am studying a Masters in Education with the Royal Academy of Dance in London. I work full time and I'm self-funding my own tuition fees. I am asking for help to raise funds to be able to attend and give a presentation at my first ever academic conference in New York in May 2016.

I recently submitted a proposal to speak at a conference on the theme of contemporary ballet. As a student in my first year I thought it would be good practice to write the proposal and had no idea that it would ever be accepted and that I would be invited to speak to the delegates. I was so surprised to be asked to attend and I would really love to take up this opportunity if possible - not only would it be a fantastic experience for me but I think it would bring valuable exposure to the company that I have proposed to speak about.

The Ugandan National Contemporary Ballet is a growing company based in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala, led by French choreographer, Valerie Miquel. My presentation will discuss their work in relation to the genre of contemporary ballet and examine what the genre means within their context. My aim is to increase awareness of their work at the same time as making an addition to the current academic understanding of contemporary ballet. By bringing their work to a wider audience it may be possible for the company to raise additional funding, or benefit from increased performance opportunities, which would be absolutely wonderful for them.

I am asking for help to raise funds to help cover the costs of my flights to and from New York, and my hotel fees for the three nights that I would be in New York. The conference is a two day event, taking place on a university campus in the city. I am not being paid to speak and there are no travel busaries available. I have never been to America, I've not even left the country on my own before, so I am a bit nervous to accept the invitation but also really, really excited to have been asked to speak about this fantastic topic. If you could please spare any money to help me achieve my aim of getting to the conference I would be so very grateful.

In return I am offering some rewards including a hand written thank you letter telling you all about my experiences to be sent after the conference.

Many thanks, Kylie x

P.s - Payments can be made via paypal by clicking the link on this page. I think some people have had difficulty in making payments by card without using paypal. If you have any problems please message me.