National Dance Institute
Encyclopedia
National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage children and motivate them toward excellence. Under the artistic direction of Ellen Weinstein and a staff of professional dancer/choreographers and musician/composers, NDI strives to reach every child, transcending barriers of language, culture, and physical challenges. Since it was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d'Amboise, NDI has impacted the lives of over 2 million children.
NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education
classes. Each year, NDI transforms the lives of over 35,000 New York City public school students, their parents, teachers and local communities through classes, residencies and performances. This educational experience instills an appreciation for dance
and music
, and other important social skills
, but also provides much more.
With an education
in the performing arts
, children learn social interaction and develop personal standards that become key aspects of their lives. Children who are fortunate to have an early exposure to elements of the performing arts, dance
and music
during their primary education
develop confidence in achievement, self discipline, learning techniques, social interaction, and learn the importance of structured routines, and the ability to work together that will serve these students well through their academic careers and in their achievements as adults.
The classes provided by NDI are taught by professional artists, who work with 4,000 New York City public school children each year in their partner schools throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The majority of NDI dancers come from low-income communities, and all NDI programs are offered to children free of charge. NDI is a not-for-profit arts education organization, and the dance programs are tuition free. Among NDI dancers, 32% are Latino, 24% Asian, 23% Caucasian, 19% African-American, and 2% other non-white minority groups.
NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
classes. Each year, NDI transforms the lives of over 35,000 New York City public school students, their parents, teachers and local communities through classes, residencies and performances. This educational experience instills an appreciation for dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and other important social skills
Social skills
A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
, but also provides much more.
With an education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
in the performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
, children learn social interaction and develop personal standards that become key aspects of their lives. Children who are fortunate to have an early exposure to elements of the performing arts, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
during their primary education
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
develop confidence in achievement, self discipline, learning techniques, social interaction, and learn the importance of structured routines, and the ability to work together that will serve these students well through their academic careers and in their achievements as adults.
The classes provided by NDI are taught by professional artists, who work with 4,000 New York City public school children each year in their partner schools throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The majority of NDI dancers come from low-income communities, and all NDI programs are offered to children free of charge. NDI is a not-for-profit arts education organization, and the dance programs are tuition free. Among NDI dancers, 32% are Latino, 24% Asian, 23% Caucasian, 19% African-American, and 2% other non-white minority groups.