On February 22nd, 2024, OCSA’s very own Nealya Brunson was successfully nominated to be a Congressional honoree and was celebrated as a distinguished leader in Central Florida for Black History Month. She was invited to a ceremony to honor this year’s nominees at the Kissimmee Civics Center and received a certificate from Congressman Darren Soto. As the dance director for Osceola County School for the Arts, she has dedicated 20 years to teaching students the intricacies of her craft and continues to do so today.
Some of her cited contributions to students include “attending the National High School Dance Festivals in Miami and Philadelphia, as well as the Regional High School Dance Festivals in Norfolk, Virginia, where students received college acceptances and scholarships.” Ms. Brunson’s middle and high school students’ superior and excellent ratings in the areas of dance, technique, and performance at the Florida Dance Education Organization and Florida Dance Performance Assessment were also celebrated. Throughout the years, she has taught many students who “have demonstrated outstanding achievements and have become professional dancers, artists, teachers, and choreographers nationally and internationally.”
Not only was she recognized for student successes, but a few of her personal accomplishments were also highlighted: receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Florida, New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida, under the direction of Daniel Lewis, and receiving a Master of Arts in Dance from the American University in Washington, D.C., under the direction of Dr. Niama Prevots. Ms. Brunson has served as a dance program coordinator, choreographed dances for many dance and theater programs, and served as a dance adjudicator in several public schools, universities, and performing arts centers, primarily in Florida.
“First, I was really surprised to be honored and recognized, but I am overjoyed and amazed at the recognition. Sitting in a room with all the others, as just a public-school teacher, with others who have done charity work and public service- to even be part of a group is such a high honor. I felt at sometimes I shouldn’t have been there, but others said I should because of the time and talent I’ve put into to the school, and our students being nationally recognized.” said Ms. Brunson.
When asked what she wanted students to know about black history month and its significance, Ms. Brunson says, “To be celebrated during black history month was icing on the cake… I’ve heard stories about African Americans wanting to be educators but not having the opportunity to do so. African Americans have contributed so much to this nation, and just to be able to celebrate that, I think we have to continue to remember where we’ve come from.”
Ms. Brunson has been working on a book for around three years titled “Goals of Dance Technique and Movement” and plans to release it sometime later in the year. She said, “I actually stumbled across the need for this… It’s because in dance, we have many books, but not a lot of resources. I actually saw the need to create a workbook, or resource, for public school. I always was making worksheets, but not really realizing I was doing it: fine tuning text, chunking it, in order to create something for students.”
As a recipient of this honor, Ms. Brunson has demonstrated her commitment to both her students and the greater Central Florida community over the last 20 years. Her dedication and passion to her art truly brings out the best in OCSA students.
