African Caribbean Dance & Grant Writing

Photo Credit: William Joshua

On September 24, 2015, Department of Art Education’s Dr. Antonio Cuyler’s ‘ARE 5867 Grant Writing & Development in the Arts‘ class had a special guest, Jevelle Robinson of the African Caribbean Dance Theatre. For 22 years, this organization has enchanted audiences with its performances at various functions throughout the southeast. Their main event, the Florida African Dance Festival, is a three day event filled with “internationally renowned artists in dance, drum workshops, and a thrilling performance concert.” In addition to the festival, the African Caribbean Dance Theater has year-round program services of African dance and drum classes that train and develop participants in the traditions.

Robinson also spoke about how her passion for art contributed to the theater’s origin. She and her husband started the African Caribbean Dance Theater from the ground up. Robinson stressed the idea of “trial and error” when writing grants and to use each grant as a learning experience. Overall, her presentation gave the Arts Administration students a more personal insight into the grant writing process of a small organization and how they put their awards to good use.

For more information on The African Caribbean Dance Theater, Inc. and the Florida African Dance Festival, visit their website here.

If you are interested in taking ‘ARE 5867 Grant Writing and Development in the Arts’, please see how you can apply to our Arts Administration program at Florida State University here.