Meet Savannah B.: A 2022 Brown Girls Do Ballet Micro Grant Winner
Savannah Bullard, an 18-year-old ballerina from Houston, is one of our 2022 Migrogrant Winners! The BDGB Micro Grant Program is designed to increase access to - and opportunity for - education, travel, and professional tools for small dance programs and dancers year-round.
With the help of the BGDB Micro Grant, Savannah will be able to continue achieving her educational and dance-related goals. Learn more about Savannah and her experience as a Micro Grant winner in the interview below!
Related: Meet Donna Vaughn: A 2021 Brown Girls Do Ballet Micro Grant Winner
Photo: Savannah Bullard; shot by David Hofmann
Savannah started learning ballet at a small, local studio where her older siblings trained. She was often inspired by the work ethic held by dancers she grew up admiring on social media. “After watching their videos, I knew that I wanted to be like them and become a professional dancer,” said Savannah.
Savannah is a Brown Girls Do Ballet Ambassador and serves as a mentor for our community of dancers of color. She learned about the Micro Grant from an announcement on our Instagram page, and decided to apply in hopes to secure funding for college.
Related: Apply for a Brown Girls Do Ballet Scholarship Today!
This fall, Savannah will attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a major in Nutrition. She plans to join their dance team, The Bisonettes, or pursue a minor in Dance. Savannah’s ultimate goal is to become a certified nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Nutrition. In the meantime, she plans to do commercial dancing and, later in life, travel the world choreographing for different companies.
“My words of advice to any dancer reading this would be to never be afraid to be vulnerable or make mistakes in the classroom,” she said. “At the end of the day, nobody is perfect and you should never let the fear of messing up rob you from an opportunity to grow.”
Photo: Savannah Bullard; provided by Savannah; shot by Darrell Dorsey
Savannah has been dancing since she was 3, training for 15 years at various studios throughout Houston. During her senior year of high school, she trained with Dorrell Martin at West University Dance Centre. She is currently training at the Houston Institute of Contemporary Dance. You can connect with Savannah and follow her dance journey by visiting her Instagram profile.
Brown Girls Do Ballet is committed to providing resources and support to ballerinas of color through initiatives such as our Micro Grant Program. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly by a panel of jurors. Dancers may apply at any time throughout the year. Visit our scholarships page to learn about all of our scholarships and grants today!