S. Hayes Robinson Memorial Dance Scholarship

The family and friends of Samuel "Hayes" Robinson established this scholarship to honor the life of this talented man. Hayes graduated from Asheville High School in 1976 and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. Though he came to dance late in life (at age 19), Hayes excelled at NC Arts and went on to dance professionally with Ballet South in Memphis.

Upon returning to Asheville, Hayes began teaching at Asheville Dance Theater, and represented North Carolina at the national level as Mr. Dance of the Carolinas in 1984. In addition to teaching and performing, Hayes wore many hats in his short life – as son, brother, uncle, mentor, companion, and friend.

Hayes had been teaching at Asheville Dance Theater for 23 years when he died on June 24, 2004. He is remembered as an incredibly sensitive and caring human being, with a deep love of dance and teaching. It is the hope of those dear to him who have established this scholarship fund in his memory that they can help open doors to young people in Buncombe County who are pursuing a higher education.

Amount

One-time $1,000

Number Of Awards

One Award

Deadline

Jan. 22, 2024

Eligibility

The S. Hayes Robinson Memorial Dance Scholarship Fund has been established in his memory to honor his love of dance and commitment to teaching it as a profession, by providing educational assistance to graduating seniors of public or private schools in Buncombe County who intend to study and/or seriously participate in any style of performance dance.

CFWNC ensures that all scholarship recipients are selected on an objective and nondiscriminatory basis and that selections are based on specific guidelines and criteria for each fund.

Selection Criteria

  • financial need
  • academic achievement/potential
  • commitment to complete an undergraduate degree.
  • community involvement, extracurricular activities and/or work experience, and leadership skills
  • An essay is a required component of the application for this scholarship. Please submit within the online application, a composition (two double-spaced typed pages) that reflects your past accomplishments and outlines your future plans, including your feelings about dance and how you see dance being a part of your life in the years to come.

To Apply

To apply, students must complete an application online. The application, with required attachments, must be submitted online on or before the deadline. Award Year 2024 closed.

Application Procedure

The scholarship program is administered by The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Please direct any questions about this scholarship to the Foundation's Scholarship Officer, Lezette Parks, at parks@cfwnc.org.

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