Press & News

NJ.com  – 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.

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 of 2024. This particular camp promises to be one of the most special to date; not only will [...]

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 [...]

BROADWAY WORLD | Feb. 07, 2024 | By Stephi Wild 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.  "We welcome children with a wide range of [...]