A group of Hong Kong's leading dancers gathered at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA) recently to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the scholarship programme which gave them an important boost during their student days.
The BAT Grant, sponsored by the Asian Cultural Council, annually supports dance students of the APA for studies at the American Dance Festival, the world's most prestigious summer programme for modern dance.
Since its establishment in 1986, the grant has funded 23 academy dance students.
Andy Wong, who received the grant in 1989, is currently the co-artistic director of DanceArt/Hong Kong.
Mr Wong attributed his development as a dancer and choreographer to his experience abroad.
'Meeting so many people from different countries and backgrounds taught me the importance of dance as a means of communication. The festival widened my vision.' To mark the anniversary, Brenda Chow, director of public affairs for BAT, chose to fund an additional student this year, bringing the total donation to $225,000.
