Photo Caption: Damani Van Rensalier of Paterson recently received Honorable Mention for her submission to the 2014 NDEO Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award.

Damani Van Rensalier, junior of the School of Performing Arts Dance, has received honorable mention for her submission to the 2014 NDEO (National Dance Education Organization) for the Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award!

The recognition is a high-boasting honor, considering all the criteria that must be met in order to enter. The competition is open to junior and senior students who were inducted into the National Honor Society for Dance Arts. Nominees are evaluated based on three categories: Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement, each of which requires students to demonstrate their exemplary character through service to the community, a high cumulative GPA average, and much more. They are also required to write multiple essays on the topics of choreography, leadership, future plans, and the impact of dance.

Receiving honorable mention for this national award is an outstanding feat. Congratulations to Damani Van Rensalier for exceling in her field and achieving such greatness!

View her submission here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ese-JfRONYA#t=85