Princess Grace Award
Dance Scholarship, 2015
Fordham University/Alvin Ailey

Courtney Celeste Spears (Baltimore MD) who is of Bahamian descent, is a professional dancer with the world renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and has performed in over 15 countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Japan. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with honors from The Ailey/Fordham BFA Program with a degree in dance and Communications/Media studies. While dancing professionally, Ms. Spears has continued her studies, recently completing Harvard Business School’s Crossover into Business program for professional athletes and was a leading character for The Black Iris Project’s “A Mother’s Rite” by Jeremy McQueen which was nominated for a New York Emmy. She has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Allure, and Vanity Fair and is currently signed  with Wilhelmina Models. As a dedicated mentor and entrepreneur, Ms. Spears is the Co-Founder and Director of her own company, ArtSea Dance, which brings world class dance entertainment and education to the Caribbean, specifically The Bahamas. Ms. Spears aims to empower young dancers to think outside of the box and continues to use her own platform to uplift the next generation of artists.