internationally famed Alvin Ailey Dance Centre in New York.

Denise Jefferson, director of the company's school, who has conducted workshops for the National Dance Theatre of Bermuda, was so impressed with the standard achieved by the group, that she has awarded a full scholarship for one dancer and guaranteed a place for another student.

So, at the end of this month, Jennifer Ingham and Renee Lambert will be setting off for New York, where the next eight weeks will be devoted to dance, dance and yet more dance. The course certainly lives up to its name as the "Summer Intensive'', with all students expected to take at least 12 technique classes per week, including a daily ballet class and a minimum of three modern classes.

The two young dancers, who took leading roles in this year's Dance Theatre's Bermuda Festival production, say they were "shocked'' and "excited -- to say the least!'', when they were given the good news.

"Just the thought of being in New York for the whole summer, where there are so many dance companies and shows to see, is fantastic,'' enthuses Jennifer Ingham.

Dance Theatre administrator, Ms Conchita Ming, says she is thrilled by the recognition that has been bestowed on the Bermudian company by this gesture on the part of the Alvin Ailey company.

"Thanks to the generosity of the Arts Council, the Silver Jubilee Fund and the Bermuda Ballet Association, we have managed to cover the cost of fees for one dancer plus living expenses and air fares for both of them. We are very grateful for their help,'' she says.

Ms Ming is confident that the two students will be good ambassadors for Bermuda.

"The training they have received here will have prepared them very well for the sort of thing that Alvin Ailey expects of its students. They have both studied all disciplines of dance, including ballet, jazz, modern, tap and some ethnic work,'' she says.

While neither dancer is contemplating an overseas career in the fiercely competitive world of professional dance companies, they are confident that their training so far, and this latest chance to study with the Alvin Ailey School, will help them to improve their own standards, which will also then be reflected in their work for Dance Theatre and Bermudian dance in general. Both have expressed an interest in the field of choreography and teaching.

Besides training since childhood with the Somerset School of Dance, 18-year-old Renee Lambert spent a year at the Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts, an establishment that has often supplied dancers for the Boston Ballet.

Now at Spelman University in Atlanta, where she is majoring in dance and child development, Renee hopes that on her return to the Island, she will be able to pursue her interest in dance by teaching and doing some choreography.

"A dancer's life is very, very hard. I decided I don't want that, so I came to the conclusion it would be better for me to go to a college where I could combine dance with another subject. Even for those who manage to get to the very top, a dancer's life is very short and it seems sensible to get training in an alternative career.'' Jennifer Ingham, 21, who began her dance studies at the age of four with the Jackson School of Dance, has just graduated with a degree in business from Dalhousie University. While she was in Halifax, she danced on a regular basis with an amateur group in Halifax called The Young Company.

"The competition in the professional dance world is incredible. I am content to dance as and when I can.'' Since the death of its founding director, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre has been run by one of its most famous dancers, Judith Jamison. The company, which has performed in Bermuda on several occasions, is acknowledged as having revolutionised American dance with its highly individual blend of ballet, primitive, modern and jazz dance.

NEW YORK, HERE WE COME -- Members of the Bermuda National Dance Theatre Renee Lambert, left, and Jennifer Ingham have been chosen to attend a special summer school by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York.