Four talented dancers from Nassau recently made history as the first Bahamian students to visit Towson University's acclaimed Department of Dance for scholarship auditions. Rylie Ward, Quiana Bain, Israel Nottage, and Bryannah Ingraham from W2 Dance Club traveled to Maryland through an initiative coordinated by the Shirley Hall Bass Foundation and Lindsey Bauer, who serves as both a Towson faculty member and Foundation coordinator. The Foundation, dedicated to expanding performing arts education pathways for Bahamian students, prepared the teens with classical ballet technique classes before their departure and facilitated this groundbreaking opportunity to experience American higher education in dance.

Towson University's Department of Dance, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance since 1984, offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with rigorous technique-based training combined with liberal arts education. During their visit, the students participated in auditions, toured state-of-the-art facilities, and met with Professor Vincent E. Thomas, founder of VTDance. They learned about the program's flexibility, discovering that many students double-major in fields like exercise science, psychology, and business alongside dance. The students connected with current dancers, explored campus life, and gained firsthand insight into opportunities that await serious dance students pursuing higher education. This visit directly supports the Foundation's mission to advocate for comprehensive performing arts education in The Bahamas while opening doors for students to train abroad, creating pathways where none previously existed.