The Ailey Dream

Hey hey beautiful people!

My name is Patricia Crowder, and I am quite sure you have seen me on your television set or on Broadway... well you have not yet, but with your donations, I am sure you will!

A Dream Deferred:

When I was a little girl growing up in Brooklyn, my father and I would go see shows, plays and showcases from various artist almost every weekend. I remember after seeing an Alvin Ailey show at the New York City Centre, I was so astonished with the dancers’ amazing ability. I will never forget looking into my father’s eyes after seeing this ground-breaking performance and saying, with tears in my eyes, “Daddy, I want to be a dancer!” His response is something I will never forget. I can still hear him saying it now. “Patricia, my baby, dancing is a hobby, not a profession. Find something you like that you can survive off of. You do NOT want to be a starving artist, my love. ”

Finding my Path:

From that day forward I decided to pick a standard military career, and to follow in my father's footsteps. I was going to become a doctor by way of the United States Navy. I completely lost who I was in an effort to be financially stable. When my father passed away of heart attack, I decided I wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon and save lives. I continued to be studious in a successful attempt to earn many scholarships because my family was, and still is, suffering a financial hardship due to my father’s sudden death. My senior year in high school I was accepted into Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, and the University of Central Florida. I was in the running for the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship, which would guarantee me $180,000 per year just for college, and a career once I completed college. Would you believe I turned all of that down? The same day I completed my scholarship is the same day I realised I wanted to pursue my dance career again and follow my dreams. At the age of 17, (about 13 years after the average dancer begins dancing) I began taking dance with the basics of ballet, lyrical, and modern. Surprisingly, I have been doing amazing. My passion for dance and my confidence for dance has continued to grow so much so that I know I can (and will) make it my career!

On the Right Track:

I am now 18 years old with my Associate of Arts degree, and I am ready to major in Dance and work hard towards a Master of Arts degree in Dance at either Florida State University or the University of Colorado. There are only two things holding me back from accomplishing my dreams: funding for school and experience in dance. Remember when I said I just started dancing? Well, that is a bigger problem than one would imagine. Both schools require an audition and in these auditions I am going up against dancers who have been dancing since birth. To put it simply, I just do not have enough technique and experience to stand out.

Wax on, Wax off:

I want to fix this problem. I want to train at the very prestigious Streetside Studios in Boulder, Colorado. There I would receive training in many different styles of dance including ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, breaking, and groove. These dance styles are exactly what I would need to jumpstart my career! Under people such as Audrey Gibson and Larkin Poynton, I know I would excel and make into either Florida State University or the University of Colorado if not both! Boulder is quite far from where I live down here in South Florida, and I would be out living on my own. I have calculated my living expense for 5 months out in Boulder Colorado. Unfortunately and shockingly, everything including food, rent, transportation, training, and utilities came up to $9,000, and this was me skimping out on the prices!

Back to the Future:

Dance is such an important part of my life. More than anything I would love to have a successful dance career, and to retire and open a dance studio of my own when I get older. I want my studio to be in a location that needs an arts programme the most. In my dance studio, I want to erect a programme for Deaf children and adults. I want more than anything to give Deaf people a sense of connection to music and dance. Being a part of the dance community in South Florida, I have met a few dancers who cannot hear what so ever, but have amazing technique and musicality. Deaf dancers need a place of solace where they could learn from someone, and converse with others completely like themselves. I believe that would be beautiful. Everybody needs a place to belong, and I would love for my studio to be that place for Deaf dancers.

With all these aspirations, I have to start somewhere and that somewhere is Streetside Studios in Boulder, Colorado. Thank you so very much for taking the time out of your life to look at my page and read my story. I greatly appreciate any donations made whether it be 5 dollars, 50 dollars, or 500 dollars. Every little bit counts! I cannot wait to tell all of you about my endeavours and my success! Thank you again!

If you would like to get an idea of the amazing training I would be receiving with your help, here are the links to both Audrey Gibson and Larkin Poynton's channels along with Streetside Studios, respectively. I have also included links to the University of Colorado and Florida State University. Check them out when you get the chance! 

YouTube Audrey Gibson

YouTube Larkin Poynton

Streetside Studios

Theatre and Dance at University of Colorado

Dance at Florida State University