Dancing and ‘DREAM’ing: 10 Years of National Dance Institute’s DREAM Project
Dance Informa Magazine | April 1, 2024
By Kathryn Boland
Picture this: a dance studio full of children moving and creating. You may not have expected it, but some of them are using wheelchairs and other assistive devices. Led by a skilled teaching artist, all of these children work together – regardless of ability or disability. Such a scene is only the norm within National Dance Institute (NDI)’s DREAM Project: “Dancers Realize Excellence Through Arts and Movement.”
The program pairs disabled and non-disabled students in order to build friendships, promote artistry, foster the skill of collaboration, spark empathy and much more. Such work expands NDI’s mission of inclusive, far-reaching dance education, shining the light of its Founder Jacques d’Amboise through subsequent generations of artists.
[…]
Absolute magic: National Dance Institute marks 10 years of Dream Project performances
News 12 | Mar 11, 2024 | By News 12 Staff
Dancers with the National Dance Institutes’ Dream Project were ready to get to work ahead of their 10th annual performance.
The program is part of the curriculum of 50 schools throughout New York City – giving dancers of all abilities a stage to strut their stuff.
News 12’s Jordan Kissane went behind-the-scenes during a rehearsal and spoke with Dream Project co-creator Dr. Agnes McConlogue Ferro.
“We know that magic is in inclusion. The magic is in dance. And we saw this firsthand with the children who were our very first participants. Some of whom are still with us and some who are not,” she said.
Learn more about the Dream Project at the National Dance Institute website.
See News 12’s story with video here.
NDI’s DREAM adaptive dance workshop celebrates 10th anniversary
CBS News | March 6, 2024
By Jessi Mitchell
NEW YORK – An adaptive workshop in Harlem is uniting different types of dancers for a totally unique experience.
The nonprofit National Dance Institute trains the community’s children through scholarships and in-school programs, touching two million lives since its inception in 1976. Perhaps the most impactful part of its mission is the DREAM Project.
“If you have a body and you want to dance, you are welcome here,” said Kay Gayner, NDI artistic director and co-founder of the DREAM Project.
The weeklong adaptive dance workshop celebrated its tenth anniversary with a special alumni reunion recital. Pediatric physical therapist and DREAM Project co-director Dr. Agnes McConlogue Ferro, along with workshop instructors, introduce differently-abled dancers to the Institute’s scholars in a style described as “individualized inclusion.”
“They’re performing the same dance, but there may be what we call translations for each partnership, depending on whatever their specific needs are, their abilities. But […]
NDI’s DREAM Project Celebrates 10 Years of Talent and Inclusion: “It’s a Hidden Treasure”
National Dance Institute’s DREAM Project Celebrates 10 Years With Alumni Homecoming Event
BROADWAY WORLD | Feb. 07, 2024 | By Stephi Wild
The NDI DREAM Project was co-founded by Kay Gayner, NDI’s Artistic Director, and Pediatric Physical Therapist, Dr. Agnes McConlogue Ferro.
Along with Aileen Barry, NDI’s Senior Director of Education & Outreach, Gayner and Ferro developed a program that is a model for inclusivity in NYC and nationwide, growing into an increasingly popular training program that equips dance and music educators as well as physical therapists with tools to expand accessibility and inclusivity in their own communities.
“Access to high quality arts education is every child’s birthright,” said Gayner. […]
NDI DREAM Project Teacher Training
The NDI DREAM Project Teaching Artist Training will give you a hands-on, empowering introduction to NDI’s teaching techniques and philosophy for working with children with disabilities using dance and live music to engage every child. We will spend the mornings actively observing the NDI DREAM Project, which will include a group of children with a wide range of developmental disabilities and their age-matched peers, all between the ages of 6 and 18.
NDI DREAM Project Teacher Training
NDI DREAM Project Teacher Training
You’ve heard about the program, now learn about the teaching practices behind it! NDI DREAM Project’s Co-Founders will share new strategies to ensure equitable inclusion, as well as tools to effectively differentiate instruction and highlight and develop every dancer’s abilities.
Dates: November 2,9, 16 and 23
Time: 4:00 pm-6:30 pm ET
Price: $300 (includes $75 non-refundable deposit) | Scholarships available!
Scholarship application is due Thursday, October 29 at 9:00 am ET.
NDI’s DREAM Project on CBS News
National Dance Institute’s Dream Project Shows Every Child Can Dance, If Given A Fair Chance
DREAM: Pair Spreads Love of Dance to Children with Special Needs
One step at a time. Agnes McConlogue Ferro and Kay Gayner are working to change the definition of "dancer." "Everyone can dance - if you can blink your eyes, you can dance. And in some ways, the world maybe doesn't quite see it that way yet, but they should," Gayner said.
GoodStuffBuzz: Empowering Dance Program for Disabled Children Puts Inclusion in The Spotlight
"Regardless of age, race or physical disabilities, dance has the capacity to speak to our souls and provide a way for us to express ourselves with joy. New York’s National Dance Institute is making sure that individuals with disabilities have the same opportunity to express themselves through dance as those more able-bodied with their Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement (D.R.E.A.M.) dance program."