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.
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What National Dance Institute’s Customized Teacher Trainings Can Do for Your Arts Organization
Dance Teacher Magazine | April 3, 2024
Since New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d’Amboise founded National Dance Institute in 1976, the nonprofit arts education organization has championed a simple yet profound truth: Early exposure to the arts can transform a child’s life. Grounded in its renowned teaching pedagogy, NDI has impacted millions of school children—in New York City and across the world—through its rigorous, joyful, and inclusive arts programming. With NDI, students develop self-confidence, a lifelong passion for learning, and an understanding that with dedication and hard work, they can achieve their goals.
NDI’s not-so-secret secret to success is not only the content of its arts programs but the delivery itself. Since 2019, the NDI Collaborative for Teaching & Learning has equipped arts educators around the world with its codified NDI Method, designed to engage students of all ages, backgrounds, and ability levels. Always in partnership with live musical accompaniment, the NDI […]
National Dance Institute Executive Director Jermaine Jones Comes Full Circle
It takes two to tango so naturally Jermaine Jones met his wife while they were both teenagers enrolled at the National Dance Institute (NDI). Along the way, he developed another lifelong love: the program itself. But his grandparents feared dance was not a financially viable career. So Jones pursued safer avenues but remained involved with the organization. Decades later, he now serves as NDI’s Executive Director, appointed almost exactly a year ago.
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 […]
Inside the 10th Anniversary Event For The NDI DREAM Project
The 10th Anniversary of the NDI DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement) was held last February 21st-23rd. It took place at the National Dance Institute at Jacques d’Amboise Center for Learning & the Arts at 217 West 147th Street.
Joyous N.J. dance program gives kids with disabilities a chance to shine
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.
