Emily Meisner (she/her) began teaching and choreographing for National Dance Institute (NDI) in 2003 and was named the Director of the NDI Collaborative for Teaching & Learning in 2019. As Director of the Collaborative, Emily oversees NDI’s teacher training initiatives; she also leads intensive trainings and professional development workshops. She serves as a consultant to organizations across the country and around the world seeking to learn from the NDI Method.

As a Teaching Artist, Emily has taught in diverse school communities throughout New York City, instructing more than 500 children each week in dance education. In 2004, Emily worked alongside NDI’s founder, Jacques d’Amboise, to create the early-childhood music and dance program Arts Encounter, which was instrumental to the development of NDI’s unique early childhood curriculum. In 2016, Emily directed NDI’s Event of the Year, Words with Wings: The Power of Poetry.

Prior to joining NDI, Emily trained intensively and danced professionally with the Boston Ballet. She received her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Columbia University and went on to receive her Master’s in Education from Bank Street College. Emily is passionate about working with teachers and is dedicated to empowering them to grow both personally and professionally.