The Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance Benefit Concert
Thank you!
The 2026 Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance Benefit Concert was a great success thanks to your support!
Make a Gift to the Scholarship Fund
View Photos from the 2026 Concert
All proceeds benefit the Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship Fund, an artistic merit scholarship that supports students like Michelle for whom the opportunity to study in the BFA program may otherwise not be possible.
For more information about the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance Benefit Concert please contact the Office of University Events at [email protected].
Michelle Osanya ’27
Hometown: Ames, IA
2026 Denise Jefferson Scholar
Photo by Nir Aireli
The 2026 Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance Benefit Concert
Every spring, undergraduate BFA students present a special performance for donors, family, and friends of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program. The evening begins with a reception, followed by the performance.
The 2026 performance paid tribute to Ana Marie Forsythe, Ailey Horton chair emerita of The Ailey School, celebrating her extraordinary dedication to teaching. Mrs. Forsythe is the former director of the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program at The Ailey School and served as the chair of the Ailey Horton department from 1979 to 2025. In 2023, she was named the Dance Teacher Magazine Awardee of Distinction.
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors
"Prelude" Sponsors
Maura Harrington
Barbara Costantino, PAR and John Costantino '67, '70 JD, PAR
"Ascend" Sponsor
Patricia A Dugan Perlmuth '79*
*2026 Fordham Giving Day Challenge Donor