Press & News

A Message From NDI Artistic Director Ellen Weinstein There are few words to describe the magnitude of loss we have felt since Jacques d'Amboise passed away on May 2. We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love and support from people around the world who were inspired by his brilliance. Thank you to everyone who has shared a memory, written a note, posted a photo, or simply taken a moment to reflect on the joy that Jacques gave to life.

This year, National Dance Institute celebrates its 45th Anniversary. As we reflect on NDI’s extraordinary achievements of inspiring children through the arts, we look ahead to the promise the future holds. We salute NDI and recognize that many exceptional individuals have made our remarkable success possible. Traci Lester, NDI’s Executive Director, has guided NDI for the past four and a half years with great skill, clarity, and dedication, especially as we navigated through the impact of an unprecedented global health crisis. Today, we announce that Traci has shared she will be stepping down from her role to pursue another professional opportunity. We are grateful for Traci’s many contributions. We wish her all the very best and we know we will continue to see her in the audience cheering on NDI. Thank you, Traci Lester.

The new year is bursting with new opportunities for National Dance Institute to share dance, music, and joy with our communities. On social media, ndiLIVE! is reaching a national audience with classes led by our teaching artists, such as Yakir Ben-Hur, pictured above giving a music program accompanied by his two young children. Our In-School Program is in full gear, bringing NDI into the lives of thousands of children at our partner schools. In collaboration with WNET, our exuberant dance classes are part of the “Let’s Learn” series on public television. (Fun fact: In 2020, NDI reached the equivalent of more than 25,000 full classrooms via WNET!) And the NDI Collaborative for Teaching & Learning is hosting three workshops in February to share the acclaimed NDI Method with teaching artists around the world. To learn more about any of these programs, please visit www.nationaldance.org.

New York, NY – July 19, 2020 – National Dance Institute (nationaldance.org) today announced that its programming will be part of The WNET Group’s summer learning and exploration series Camp TV which returned for Season 2 on public television stations nationwide.  NDI teaching artists and musicians take children on a movement journey in eight episodes of Camp TV this summer. The partnership comes on the heels of NDI’s programming in ten episodes of The WNET Group’s New York Emmy-nominated series Let’s Learn NYC!.  The educational public television program produced by The WNET Group in partnership with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) features lessons for children in 3K through second grade that supplement remote learning. According to Ellen Weinstein, Artistic Director, National Dance Institute, "We are excited to partner for a second year with The WNET Group on Camp TV.  Through our participatory programming, NDI’s teaching artists and musicians [...]

New York, NY – July 10, 2020 – National Dance Institute today announced a content partnership with The WNET Group’s Camp TV, a new one-hour public television series that brings the day camp experience to children nationwide weekdays beginning Monday, July 13 on public television (check local listings). In the New York metro area, Camp TV premieres Monday, July 13 at 10 a.m. on WLIW21, 11 a.m. on THIRTEEN, and 12 p.m. on NJTV. Episodes will also be available to stream at camptv.org. Providing ideas for fun activities to kids who can’t go to camp this summer, Camp TV is hosted by a head counselor played by Zachary Noah Piser, a Broadway performer (“Dear Evan Hansen,” “Wicked”) who guides campers as they learn through play. “During this challenging time, we hope we’re able to bring kids some of the magic, learning and fun of summer camp through Camp TV,” said Neal [...]

Need for Programming During Quarantine Fuels DREAM Project@Home July 1, 2020 – New York, NY – National Dance Institute (NDI) today announced new national online programming for children with disabilities. The program, part of NDI’s renowned DREAM Project, is the first of its kind to offer a fully inclusive format that connects dancers of all abilities with one another from their homes. The DREAM (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement) Project@Home will include Zoom classes, classes on NDI’s platform ndiLIVE! and summer workshops. DREAM Project@Home is an extension of DREAM classes and workshops traditionally offered in person at the NDI Center. In this unique program, children with disabilities and a group of age-matched, non-disabled peers dance in partnership, with the goals of maximizing participation and challenging every dancer to achieve their best through teamwork, creativity, empathy, and discovery. The program culminates in a performance celebrating every student’s talents and achievements. [...]