Sitting in a New York cafe, Dubai-based tap-dancer Suzanne Clandon is pondering her new possibilities after receiving a Fulbright scholarship.
The British national, who spearheaded a tap-dance culture in the UAE during her time as a physical-education instructor at the Deira International School, is the only person living outside of the United Kingdom to receive the award this year.
Out of thousands of applicants, Clandon was selected by the US-UK Fulbright Commission for a US$45,000 (Dh165,000) stipend and a visa to study at any higher education institution in the United States.
“I applied twice to this programme,” Clandon says.
“The first time, last year, I got shortlisted for an interview in London but was unsuccessful. I reapplied again and this time in the 15 minutes I got with the interviewers, I shared with them who I was, my study goals and my aspirations for the future.”
It was Clandon’s UAE initiatives that impressed the judging panel. To her Dubai students, she was the force who had whipped them into shape in PE lessons for thepast seven years.
After her day job was done, the trainers were replaced with tap shoes. Trained in ballet and accredited by the Royal Academy of Dance and the British Theatre Dance Association, Clandon – who goes by the nickname Suzy Q – cofounded Dubai Desert Dance in 2012, an annual event to showcase dance troupes from UAE schools. Last year, she became the first UAE-based dancer to compete in the International Dance Organisation World Tap Dance Championships, which featured more than 1,200 adult and child performers.
She has also been working closely with the Chloe Arnold's Syncopated Ladies, a group that participated in Season 11 of the North American version of television talent show So You Think You Can Dance, in addition to working with them on a joint performance in the UAE last year.
Clandon says she will shift gears for the next few years – as part of her scholarship she chose to study management and urban policy at The New School in New York. Her course will focus on leadership, international affairs and management. Clandon says she opted for subjects that forced her out of her “comfort zone”.
“I think it’s always good to take a step outside of your environment to evaluate things,” she says. “And I wanted to study something different and do further research in these fields.”
New York has also afforded opportunities to express herself dance-wise – Clandon has already performed with the New York City Tap Ensemble in Times Square. It has been a long and varied journey for Clandon. She recalls first catching the dance bug when her mother enrolled her for lessons at the age of 4.
“She was a bit of a diva on the dance floor, but never had any form of dance training,” she says. “I joined these dance classes because my mother wanted to get me out of the house for one hour a week and so I joined my neighbour’s daughter for them. She stopped going after six weeks but I continued.”
While working towards an undergraduate degree in physical education, sports and dance in the UK, Clandon was also teaching dance at the Broomfield Academy of Ballet.
“Sports, fitness and dance has always been my passion,” she says. “A big part of me believes that if you are not healthy then you are not happy. Health leads to happiness. If that is not right then you’re not going to excel or succeed in other areas in your life as well.”
Clandon plans to bring that same determination to her New York adventure. When not buried in assignments and meeting deadlines, she is committed to perfecting her dance moves. “I’m looking forward to dancing and training with the Chloe Arnold’s Syncopated Ladies here,” she says.
“I came across these girls a few years ago, and I was so inspired by the way that they danced because not only do they do tap, they are great artists in their own right. They make tap dance appealing with their cool music videos. I want to dance for as long as I possibly can.”
aahmed@thenational.ae