University of South Florida

College of The Arts

University of South Florida

Dance Graduate Madison McGrew Receives 2016 Fulbright Award

Friday, July 01, 2016

Graduating dancer Madison McGrew has been honorably declared a Fulbright Scholar for 2016. Her next step is to use this opportunity to travel to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London to complete a master's degree in Dance Science. Madison, who graduated from USF with both a Bachelor of in Fine Arts in Dance Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, will research both the physical and psychological aspects of dance with an emphasis on pain tolerance. In May, she accepted the honor of being this year's John L. Smith Jr. Scholarship recipient at the 2016 College of The Arts Graduation Celebration.

Madison's studies are deeply personal as she had nine musculoskeletal injuries in the name of her art. Studying anatomy in high school and working closely with doctors on her own injuries cultivated her decision to merge the arts with medicine. She enjoys finding how the two fields relate and how realizing an understanding between the two can help dancers communicate with physicians.

Madison grew up in Winter Garden, Florida and has been dancing since she was in elementary school. She is praised for her dedication to the craft of dance-making and the well-seasoned maturity and professionalism that she exhibits. During her time at USF, Madison acted as an active scholar, researcher, and creative artist. Through USF Education Abroad, she performed an original work in Paris, France and studied Biochemistry in Florence, Italy with a USF World Scholarship. Her participation as a dancer in Professor Andrew Carroll's video "Speaking Without Words: Human Sex-Trafficking Awareness" spread awareness about the control and emotional distress inflicted by others.

The College of The Arts congratulates Madison for her accomplishments and wishes her the best as she expands her multidisciplinary knowledge as a global learner at the intersection of medicine and dance.

Read about Madison in the Orange Observer