Junior Garners Accolades, Awards, and Scholarships

Also, in late 2018, Blackwell was awarded two faculty-pick scholarships from the teachers at Artists Simply Human (ASH), which will allow her to select the state of her choice when returning as a dance artist for the same convention in 2019. In January, Blackwell was tapped by ASH to perform at their National Competition, which was held in Philadelphia. Of the 200 dances that were performed at this event, Blackwell and her partner were selected to perform a contemporary dance duet at the closing showcase, which was live streamed on the web.

These are not the first accolades and honors that Blackwell’s dancing talents have earned her. In the summer of 2018, she received a scholarship to attend the Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles, California. While there, she attended classes on various types of dance. Blackwell is trained in many genres of dance, including ballet, lyrical, tap, and jazz. Her personal favorites lean towards hip-hop and contemporary. She reflected: “This experience exposed me to different styles of dance. I especially liked learning the differences between East Coast and West Coast approaches to the same type of dance.”

Locally, Blackwell studies and performs for the American Dance Academy, which will perform a showcase in the Geipel Center for the Performing Arts on March 3, 2019. During the showcase, Asia will be recognized for another honor—induction into the American Dance Academy chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA). The announcement released by the National Dance Education Organization stated that Asia is being recognized for her artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement, and the organization celebrates her accomplishments in the field of dance arts.