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Introducing TL’s Fulbright Scholar 2022/23

Fri 7 October 2022

Progressing the future of contemporary dance

Dedicated to studying the impact of racial identity and masculinity on Black men, Virginia-born Keith Corprew has begun his MFA in Creative Practice: Transdisciplinary at Trinity Laban and is the conservatoire’s newest Fulbright-Trinity Laban Postgraduate Scholar. 

Through exploring how racial identity and masculinity can have a profound effect on Black men’s sense of belonging, Keith’s degree will consider what it means to be a Black man in the UK today. 

Keith graduated with a BA in Philosophy and French Studies from Morehouse College, Atlanta in 2017. Alongside his undergraduate studies he took dance classes within the Dance Department at Spelman College, Atlanta, and was an active participant in the Spelman Dance Theater program and a member of the Morehouse College Honors Program and various performing arts organisations.  

In 2020, he was awarded a Master’s in Theological Studies with a certificate in Black Church Studies from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.  

Before joining Trinity Laban this September, he worked as an administrator with Morehouse College’s Howard Thurman Honors Program for five years with a specific focus on using literature and digital media to engage students in discussions concerning Black culture and life. 

Keith plans to use his postgraduate training to create spaces and further works that amplify the voices of Black men from communities all over the world and affirm them in their commonalities and differences as Black men.  While in the UK, he hopes to learn more about Black British history and culture and the similarities that may exist between them and his own as an African American. 

His first project at Trinity Laban will be to conduct a series of community workshops where Black men will be invited to participate in both discussions and activities to share their views of what it means to be a Black man in the UK. 

On joining the Trinity Laban community Keith says –  

“I am elated to study at Trinity Laban, especially with the support the institution provides to develop its students as artists, researchers, and community practitioners. This truly feels like a providential moment in my life, to delve deeper into my artistry and scholarship within a supportive community committed to making real change in and through the arts across the world. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity provided through Trinity Laban’s partnership with the Fulbright Program.” 

Sara Matthews, Director of Dance, comments – 

“Trinity Laban is thrilled to welcome Keith Corprew to the Faculty of Dance as this year’s Fulbright Scholar, continuing a rich tradition of cultural exchange and innovation. The international community Keith is joining will help support his development as a change-maker, as he continues to take exciting steps to advance the art form of dance.” 

Trinity Laban Principal Anthony Bowne comments – 

“Trinity Laban is a world leading conservatoire, and we are proud to be a partner of the renowned Fulbright Scholarship Programme. Fulbright Scholarships are highly sought after and greatly extend the financial support Trinity Laban can offer the world’s best prospective postgraduate students. The Fulbright-Trinity Laban Scholar will be immersed in high-quality teaching and a diverse and international student community, in the world’s most vibrant and exciting city.” 

US-UK Fulbright Commission Executive Director Maria Balinska comments – 

“Keith is a testament to the Fulbright Programme’s commitment to civically engaged artistic excellence. We’re excited to see the outcome of his creative exchanges with the dance community at Trinity Laban and proud to be partnering for a sixth year with the only Conservatoire of Music and Contemporary Dance in the UK.” 

The US-UK Fulbright programme is the only international education exchange to go both ways across the Atlantic and whose vision is a world in which there are no obstacles to learning, understanding and collaboration. 

Previous Trinity Laban recipients include Ballet and Contemporary Dance Teacher William Bryam US Marines veteran and Artistic Director of Exit12 Dance Company (New York) Roman Baca, who was awarded the Fulbright Association’s Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture Award, and Washington-born pianist Garrett Snedeker who won a Barzun Prize for Youth Engagement to pioneer a music project to engage under-served teenagers in Southeast London. 

Find out more about the Fulbright Scholarship, including how to apply for 2023, on the conservatoire’s Fees and Finance pages. To learn about studying on the MA/MFA Creative Practice programme at Trinity Laban, click here.