NDI at a Glance
- Currently in 31 partner schools in the NYC metro area, NDI serves close to 5,000 children each week in grades K-6.
- NDI works with every child on a grade, including English Language Learners and children with special needs.
- A Master Teacher/ Choreographer, Musician/ Composer and Assistant Teacher lead every NDI class.
- NDI serves diverse low-income communities. Nearly 63% of NDI dancers are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Approximately 81% of the children we serve are children of color.
- NDI’s Advanced Scholarship Programs offer extended training outside of school for exceptionally motivated children who demonstrate the passion and willingness to immerse themselves in
the discipline of the arts. - Throughout our 35-year history, NDI has successfully seeded programs both nationally and abroad. There are currently
11 NDI associate programs thriving in the US.
- NDI has led cultural exchanges around the world, including China,
Russia, India, Africa, Israel, Palestine, Bali and Switzerland. - NDI programs are free for every child.
AWARDS: Over the years, NDI and Founder Jacques d’Amboise have earned prestigious honors including the MacArthur Genius Award, National Medal of Arts, Kennedy Center Honors, President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities’ Coming Up Taller Award, People Magazine’s People First Honoree, the Arison Award, NYC Mayor’s Award of Honor for Art and Culture, Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Art and Culture of New York State, and induction into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among many others.
RECENT PRESS:
NDI has made appearances on ABC’s “The View”, CBS’s “The Early Show,” NBC’s “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” WNBC’s “Macy’s Parade Balloon Bash,” WNET/THIRTEEN’s “New York Voices,” NY1’s “One on 1 with Budd Mishkin,” Fox 5’s “Good Day New York,” “CBS Saturday Morning,” and “CBS Sunday Morning,” “Teen Kids News,” and has earned recognition in local and national publications including, Time Magazine, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, New York Daily News, El Diario/La Prensa, The Hartford Courant, as well as in more than 30 NYC community newspapers and magazines.
To request or download a press packet, please contact Angel Gardner at agardner@nationaldance.org.
PROGRAMS
IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM:
NDI’s In-School Program is exuberant and intellectually engaging – and unlike any other program of its kind. The program consists of two models: a year-long program as well as shorter, intensive residencies. A Master Teacher/Choreographer, Musician/Composer, and an Assistant Teacher lead an entire grade level in classes that take place during the school day, placing the arts on equal standing with all academics. In the process, our teachers foster in students a love of the arts and a curiosity about the world. The ISP teaches skills essential to a child’s education – critical thinking and collaboration, habits of healthy living, global perspective, cultural literacy, the ability to communicate ideas through an art form, an essential confidence in their ability to learn, and a hunger for continued achievement. At the core of NDI’s success is its unique pedagogy, developed over decades, that addresses the needs of children across a spectrum of abilities. NDI serves all children including those with physical and cognitive challenges, blind and deaf children, and English language learners.
NDI special partnerships include:
• Lighthouse International, a school for children who are blind or losing vision
• American Sign Language and English Lower School/P.S. 347
• Special Forces programs at P.S. 199 and PS 124, which pair special needs
students with General Education students
ADVANCED PROGRAMS:
SWAT Team (Scholarships for the Willing, Achieving and Talented): Approximately 100 dancers selected from the In-School Program receive advanced dance instruction for 3-5 hours each Saturday or at selected after-school locations. The program culminates in NDI’s Event of the Year, a large-scale public performance featuring the SWAT and Celebration Team dancers.
Celebration Team:
Approximately 80 dancers who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment throughout their NDI training are given scholarships to join our most advanced performance troupe. These dancers perform year round in a variety of locations, which have included Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, Juilliard, City Center, the Kennedy Center, the White House, as well as in nationally televised events.
Irene Diamond Summer Institute:
A month-long performing arts academy, this rigorous program combines a full schedule of classes in ballet, jazz, tap, ethnic dance, music (voice and orchestra) and theater. Special guest artists introduce the children to a range of artistic experiences. Each year, 100 full scholarships are awarded.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
NDI Teaching Artists are professional dancers and musicians trained in NDI’s unique, award-winning pedagogy. NDI offers 2-Week Workshops in New York City that enable professional dancers and dance educators to study NDI’s renowned teaching methodology. Our Master Teachers also share NDI’s pedagogy with communities throughout the U.S. and internationally through Teacher Training Residencies.
NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE CENTER FOR LEARNING & THE ARTS:
National Dance Institute officially opened the doors of its permanent home in the Fall of 2011. The NDI Center, comprised of four studios including a performance space, two galleries and administrative offices, will further our mission and expand our reach, becoming a beacon for children, teachers and artists in the community and worldwide.
There are children who live each day struggling with academics, with complicated family lives, and with emotional and physical challenges. I have seen these children leave the dance floor with a renewed spirit of hope, better able to handle the problems they face because of the inner peace they derive from the beauty of dance.
- Shelley Harwayne, Educator and former District Superintendent, New York City Public Schools
