NDI NEWS & PRESS

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.

2024-03-11T14:03:53-05:00March 3rd, 2024|
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NDI’s DREAM Project Celebrates 10 Years of Talent and Inclusion: “It’s a Hidden Treasure”

THE TEEN MAGAZINE, February 27, 2024

BY SAM BURTON

For Kay Gayner and Agnes McConlogue Ferro, dance is far more than just an artform. It’s about joy. It’s about community and friendships. It’s about performing in a way that incorporates and celebrates all types of movement, all abilities, and all people. “Anybody who moves – no matter what they move – is a dancer,” Ferro says.

It is this core belief that motivated the pair to launch the National Dance Institute’s DREAM Project in 2014 – a pioneering program which partners children with and without disabilities for weeklong, biannual dance sessions celebrating the power of inclusivity and the arts.

When I meet with Gayner and Ferro over Zoom, they are less than 24 hours away from the start of the first DREAM camp […]

2024-02-27T12:50:37-05:00February 27th, 2024|
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Non-Profit Arts Education Organization Celebrates 10 Years of Inclusion, Understanding, and Joy Among Students With and Without Disabilities

FE NEWS | NON-PROFIT NEWS

February 16, 2024

DREAM Alumni Reunion in February Is A Testament To NDI Founder Jacques d’Amboise’s  Vision to Inspire Children of All Abilities and Backgrounds through the Performing Arts

National Dance Institute (NDI), the nonprofit arts education organization that delivers award-winning dance and music programs to thousands of children worldwide, will host a DREAM alumni homecoming on February 23rd in honor of the 10th anniversary of the NDI DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement), an inclusive dance program that provides children with and without disabilities the opportunity to perform together in true partnership.

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 […]

2024-02-16T17:29:56-05:00February 16th, 2024|
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NDI’s DREAM Project Marks 10 Years Of Inclusive Joy For Children With And Without Disabilities

HARLEM WORLD | FEBRUARY 6, 2024

National Dance Institute (NDI), is the Harlem nonprofit arts education organization that delivers award-winning dance and music programs to thousands of children worldwide.

Will host a DREAM alumni homecoming on February 23rd in honor of the 10th anniversary of the NDI DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement), an inclusive dance program that provides children with and without disabilities the opportunity to perform together in true partnership.

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 […]

2024-02-16T17:13:30-05:00February 16th, 2024|
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National Dance Institute’s DREAM Project Celebrates 10 Years With Alumni Homecoming Event

BROADWAY WORLD | Feb. 07, 2024 | By

National Dance Institute will host a DREAM alumni homecoming on February 23rd in honor of the 10th anniversary of the NDI DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement), an inclusive dance program that provides children with and without disabilities the opportunity to perform together in true partnership.

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.  […]

2024-02-16T17:31:31-05:00February 6th, 2024|
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NDI Appoints TIFFANY REA-FISHER as Artist-in-Residence for 2024 Season

NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE APPOINTS TIFFANY REA-FISHER AS THE HELEN STAMBLER NEUBERGER ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE FOR THE 2024 SEASON

Acclaimed Theater Choreographer (The Tempest, Twelfth Night) and Artistic Director of EMERGE125 Joins NDI To Inspire The Next Generation Of Dancers

December 4, 2023 – New York, NY – Following her acclaimed choreography for the Public Theater’s summer 2023 production of The Tempest at The Delacorte Theater, the multi-talented artist Tiffany Rea-Fisher has been chosen as National Dance Institute’s (NDI) Artist-in-Residence for 2024.

The one-year residency, which began in October of 2023, is a recognition of Rea-Fisher’s two decades of inspiring talent as an artistic director, choreographer, dancer, curator, diversity advocate, and dance instructor. 

Tiffany Rea-Fisher is the Artistic Director of EMERGE125, a Mellon Foundation grant-funded dance  performance company headquartered out of Harlem and the Adirondacks, currently in residence at The Flea Theater. She is also the […]

2023-12-08T12:10:39-05:00December 4th, 2023|
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NDI’s Building Dedication

On September 27th, NDI held a beautiful dedication of our space, now called the Arnold S. and Madaleine Penner Building at the Jacques d’Amboise Center for Learning & the Arts. The ceremony was a wonderful way to honor their long-standing friendship, commitment, and legacy between Arnold S. Penner and Jacques d’Amboise. The sun broke through the rainy skies just in time to celebrate this next chapter in NDI’s history.

It was a delightful and joyous event, filled with heartfelt speakers including the NYC Deputy Manhattan Borough President Keisha Sutton-James, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Deputy Commissioner Alton Murray, NYC District 9 Councilman-Elect Yusef Salaam, and Former NYC Councilman Alan Gerson as we unveiled our new space. The event also included uplifting words from NDI leadership and members of both the d’Amboise and Penner families shared beautiful memories of Arnold Penner and Jacques d’Amboise. Punctuating the evening was, of course, performances by the […]

2023-10-20T18:43:38-05:00October 20th, 2023|
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