In the News

NJ.com  | March 03, 2024 – Many programs unite disabled and non-disabled dancers. The National Dance Institute, founded in 1976 by famed ballet dancer/choreographer Jacques d’Amboise, marked the tenth anniversary of its DREAM program — Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Music — on Feb. 23. DREAM is an inclusive dance program that pairs children with and without disabilities, according to the institute.“ Access to high-quality arts education is every child’s birthright. We welcome children with a wide range of disabilities. If you have a body, you can dance,” said Kay Gayner, NDI's Artistic Director and DREAM co-founder.“The DREAM dance curriculum’s magic is in the mix: partnering children with disabilities with age-matched peers empowers all of our dancers to maximize participation, teamwork and creativity,” Gayner said. The program “inspires mutual respect and empathy among the dancers and helps audiences understand and redefine what dance can and should look like. Inclusion elevates everyone,” she said.

Harlem’s National Dance Institute (NDI) will celebrate the life of Dr. Maya Angelou at “RISE,” their 2023 Event of the Year from June 17-19 at NYU Skirball Center. This event will include vibrant performances of dance and live music from over 100 talented children from New York City public schools.

NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 – NDI, the non-profit arts education organization that delivers award-winning dance and music programs to thousands of children worldwide, announces that Jermaine Jones will join the organization as Executive Director.

Jones joins the acclaimed organization alongside NDI’s Artistic Director Kay Gayner and Board Chair Marc Solomon. He is the current NDI Board Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Finance Committee, and former controller of Brighton Health Plan Solutions. Jones will assume his new role on March 20^th.

National Dance Institute was founded by legendary ballet dancer and arts education champion Jacques d’Amboise in the belief that all children should have access to high quality arts education. Each year NDI engages thousands of children of all backgrounds and abilities through its unique NDI Method, an approach to teaching that has become a widely adopted model for arts education programs around […]