A few months ago dance student Tyler Barker, 22, had to cut his college courses short to return to Bermuda to take on a summer job to pay his rent.

Although musician Devon (Sammi) DeGraff, 24, had a teacher's training scholarship from the Bermuda Government, funds were still tight.

Thanks to the Ross Blackie Talbot Memorial Scholarship Mr. Barker and Mr. DeGraff will be going back to university this year to continue their studies. The foundation has handed out over $70,000 in scholarship funds to Bermudian students studying the performing arts in the last four years.

"I applied to three or four scholarships that denied me," said Mr. DeGraff who is pursuing a masters degree in music education at the University of North Texas. "I probably could have applied to more scholarship funds but not all of them quite catered to music arts. That was the most difficult part about it. I feel that receiving the Talbot Scholarship is a blessing. I am a spiritual person and I feel that God always provides you with what you need when you need it.

"My parents sacrificed a lot to try and send me away to school. My mother would say that the main thing she wants is for her children to get educated. So I just try to work hard and to better myself."

Mr. Barker, who is in his third year of the dance and dance education Bachelor of Fine Arts programme at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida had had a similar experience. He received $12,500 and Devon received $10,000 from the Foundation.

When Clement Talbot, the son of the late Ross (Blackie) Talbot telephoned Mr. Barker to tell him the good news he was greeted with total silence.

"I was in sheer amazement," said Mr. Barker. "I called my mother and told her and the phone was blank on her side because no one knew how to react."

Mr. Talbot said he and other members of the scholarship committee were overwhelmed by Mr. Barker and Mr. DeGraff's personal sense of vision.

"Their ambition and their commitment to this type of field really stood out," said Mr. Talbot. "It wasn't very difficult for us to provide the type of support they need. We would like to be able to say 'Devon and Tyler you don't have to worry about funding for the next year as well', but we have some limitations and I am just hoping that if the crisis comes again that we will be in a position to assist them."

Mr. Talbot said the two young men were role models for the community.

"We were very impressed by their maturity, their vision and views on life," said Mr. Talbot. "These are the type of individuals that will do extremely well in their chosen careers and make a significant contribution, and be a positive influence on some of the other youths who need some positive direction."

A requirement of the teacher's scholarship that Mr. DeGraff received from Government is that he return to Bermuda to teach for at least four years.

"It is something I wanted to do anyway," he said. "When I was growing up there were a few guys such as Shine Hayward and Douglas Frith who motivated me to continue to play saxophone, but there wasn't a whole lot of people to really help motivate me, so I would like to come back and help to motivate the youngsters. I will be teaching at one of the public schools when I get back, although I am not sure which one."

Mr. Barker also suffered from a lack of male role models in his chosen field.

"Being a male dancer was difficult when I first started out at the age of 15," said Mr. Barker. "That was the age when kids aren't too sure how to take a male dancer. I have always been one to not go with the crowd.

"If I am into it and I love it then I am going to follow it. It has been worth the fight."

Mr. Barker said he felt like the scholarship was a blessing that would allow him not to struggle next year with finances.

He was first introduced to dance when he was a teenager when his brother started dating the owner of a local dance school.

"I have always been a mover and I always liked to dance around," he said. "Liz Pimentel of In Motion Dance School put me into that and after a few years I started technically training in ballet and modern dance.

"It was really for me. It was physical. It was free. It was structured, but it is not so structured that I couldn't be my own person."

He said going into a college level dance programme has really helped his dance ability to progress.

"Right now I want to be able to travel and tour and have that under my belt, because the best way in the end to teach is to have the experience of what is out there," he said.

He said that just by being a male dancer he is an example to others.

"Liz is always looking for good male dance teachers," he said. "By going to college I can share my experiences with performance and other aspects of dance culture with my future students. I already share what I learn with my friends at In Motion."

Mr. Barker said he doesn't think he will ever be rich, but he hopes to lead a fulfilling life full of travel and interesting people.

"I want to be able to stay fit and stay healthy and enjoy life while I can," he said.

Mr. Talbot said his father had always wanted to see more young Bermudians like Mr. Barker and Mr. DeGraff pursuing their dreams.

"The Talbot Brothers were a legendary type of group in their day," Mr. Talbot said. "During my father's later years he was very despondent when he recognised the almost abolition of entertainment and dance that was so flourishing during his early years.

"It hurt him to see there weren't the youngsters coming forward to pursue the field. Music teaches discipline and commitment."

He said his father hoped that by forming a Foundation he would be helping other Bermudians to enter the entertainment field.

"We are not like the Bank of Bermuda Foundation or the XL Foundation," said Mr. Talbot. "We have a limited type of budget. As much as we would like to help all those who are pursuing a musical or performing arts career, we have our limitations."

The Foundation raises much of its money through an annual golf tournament.

Mr. Talbot said his foundation doesn't promote itself the way other foundations do, but they are probably one of the biggest scholarship supporters of the arts in Bermuda.

"The Ross (Blackie) Talbot Foundation appears to be filling a very significant vacuum," he said. They also helped several other students and helped to send the National Jazz Ensemble to England.