Joffrey dancer receives prestigious grant
Chicago, represent. The Joffrey Ballet announced today that dancer Jeraldine Mendoza has received a $50,000 grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund—the first time the prestigious award has been given to a Chicago-based performing artist since its inception in 2008. The grant helps support the artistic goals and practical needs of young, established artists over the course of their professional careers.
"This generous gift will allow our artists economic freedom as they hone and grow their craft," Joffrey executive director Christopher Clinton Conway said in a statement. "This is a gift not only to them and to our company, but also to our audiences as they watch our dancers blossom and prosper."
A San Francisco native, Mendoza attended the School of American Ballet’s Summer Session in 2009 on full merit scholarship before becoming a trainee at San Francisco ballet. A recipient of numerous academic and artistic accolades, she joined Joffrey in 2011.
Mendoza is one of a handful of talented performers to receive the exclusive award. Other recipients for this year, among others, include violinist Michelle Ross of the Perlman Music Program, actor Bryce Pinkham of the Yale School of Drama, and dancer Eric Tamm of American Ballet Theatre.
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