about ndi - National Dance Institute

about ndi
national dance institute
National Dance Institute (NDI) is a non-profit arts education organization
founded in 1976 by ballet star Jacques d’Amboise. Through school
partnerships, workshops and public performances, NDI uses dance as a
catalyst to engage children and motivate them toward excellence.
at a glance
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In the current school year, NDI’s In-School Program serves 42
partner schools in the NYC area, reaching more than 6,000
children each week.
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 60% of NDI
dancers are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
Approximately 71% of the students 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 committment to immerse themselves
in a greater challenge.
Throughout our 39-year history, NDI has successfully seeded programs
throughout the United States. There are currently 11 associate
programs in the United States as well as one in Shanghai, China.
NDI has led cultural exchanges around the world, including Russia,
India, Africa, Israel, Palestine, Bali, China and Switzerland.
NDI’s core 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.
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,” “CBS Sunday Morning,”
and “Teen Kids News,” and has earned recognition in local and national
publications including Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street
Journal, People Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, New
York Daily News, El Diario/La Prensa, and The Hartford Courant, as well as in
more than 30 NYC community newspapers and magazines.
To request a press kit, please call NDI at (212) 226-0083.
...inspiring children through the arts.
about ndi cont’d
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,
deeply rooting the arts in a school’s culture and curriculum. In
the process, our teachers foster in students a love of the arts and
a curiosity about the world. The In-School Program teaches skills
vital 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 his or her 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 visually impaired
• A Special Forces program at PS 199 that pairs
special needs students with general education students
TEACHING ARTIST TRAINING
NDI Teaching Artists are professional dancers and musicians
trained in NDI’s unique, award-winning pedagogy. NDI offers
Teaching Artist Trainings in New York City, including a TwoWeek Intensive and a Special Popluations Workshop, 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 Teaching Artist Training
residencies.
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 90 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,
New York City Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, 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, modern, music and theater. Special guest artists introduce
the children to a range of artistic experiences. Each year, 100 full
scholarships are awarded.
Event of the Year
Each June, NDI’s Advanced Scholarship Programs culminate
with a final Event of the Year. The Event features original
choreography and music, and professionally-designed sets,
costumes, and lighting. Dancers perform over three days for
New York City audiences. Free performances are offered to
New York City public school children participating in our InSchool Program.
INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM
NDI dancers have benefited greatly from international cultural exchanges, with artists
and children from countries such as China, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Palestine, Russia and Bali.
NDI regularly hosts international visitors in New York City, most recently teachers and
students from the Shanghai Children’s Palace in China, ConArte in Mexico City, and master
choreographers from Bali. Through these exchanges, our dancers build cultural literacy
and global awareness, and are exposed to diverse cultural traditions and styles.
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, furthers our mission and expands our reach, serving as
a beacon for children, teachers and artists in the community and worldwide.
...inspiring children through the arts.
national dance institute
Jacques d’Amboise
Jacques d’Amboise (Founder) Recognized as one of the finest classical dancers of our time, Jacques
d’Amboise now leads the field of arts education with a model program that exposes thousands of
school children to the magic and discipline of dance. In 1976, while still a principal dancer with New
York City Ballet, Mr. d’Amboise founded National Dance Institute in the belief that the arts have a
unique power to engage and motivate individuals towards excellence.
His contributions in arts education have earned him numerous awards and honors including: The
Governor’s Award for outstanding contributions to the arts and culture of New York State (1986); The
Paul Robeson Award for excellence in the field of the humanities (1988); The First Annual Producers
Circle Award for public service (1989); a 1990 MacArthur Fellowship: The Capezio Award (1990);
The Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
(1993); The Museum of the City of New York - $24 Award; The National Caring Award, The Caring
Institute (1995); The Kennedy Center Honors (1995); NCEA St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award (1996);
The National Medal of Arts (1998); The Dance Magazine Award (1999); Town Hall Friend of the Arts
Award (2000); The Heinz Award (2001); People First Honoree, People Magazine (2002); The Arison
Award (2002); The James Keller Youth Award, The Christophers (2002); The Mayor’s Award for Arts
& Culture (2004); induction into The American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2007); The Children’s
Champion Award, Child Magazine (2007); The Vasterling Award for Artistic Vision and Excellence
in Dance (2010); The Fred and Adele Astaire Award (2011); Dance Teacher Magazine’s Lifetime
Achievement Award (2011); and The Nancy Hank Fellowship - Duke University. He holds Honorary
Doctorates from the Julliard School, Duke University, Boston College, University of the South,
Franklin Pierce College, St. Joseph College, Montclair State University, Monmouth University, Bates
College, Saint Peter’s College, the College of New Rochelle, and Bank Street College of Education.
Mr. d’Amboise is also an Honorary Big Brother.
“He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’,” a 1984 PBS documentary film about his work with NDI, won an
Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, the Golden Cine Award, and the National
Education Association Award for the advancement of learning through broadcasting. He has also
served as a full professor and Dean of Dance for two years at SUNY Purchase, and for 11 years
as visiting professor at the College of Creative Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara.
Mr. d’Amboise began his ballet training with Madame Seda in Washington Heights, New York.
Within a year, at the age of eight, he continued his studies at the School of American Ballet with
George Balanchine, Anatola Oboukhoff and Pierre Vladimiroff. At age 12 he performed with Ballet
Society, the immediate predecessor to New York City Ballet. Three years later, barely 15, he joined
New York City Ballet and the following year made his European debut at London’s Covent Garden.
As Balanchine’s protégé, Mr. d’Amboise had more works choreographed specifically for him by The
Ballet Master than any other dancer, including the ballets: Stars and Stripes, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,
Episodes, Figures in the Carpet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jewels, Raymonda Variations, Meditation,
and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet. Mr. d’Amboise is most remembered for his portrayal of what critics
called “the definitive Apollo.” As a choreographer, Mr. d’Amboise’s credits include almost twenty
works commissioned for New York City Ballet.
Mr. d’Amboise’s work in dance education has taken him all over the world—from the extremes of
Yakutsk, Siberia, to the Danakil Desert in Ethiopia, from over 1,200 feet below sea level at the Dead
Sea to the mountains of Nepal, and from the dryness of the Atacama Desert in Chile to rainforests on
the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Chain. Over the last 30 years, NDI programs in New York City and
its associates, both nationally and internationally, have reached and influenced over 2 million children,
in particular the programs National Dance Institute have integrated with the city of Shanghai, China.
“The arts open your heart and mind to possibilities that are limitless. They are pathways that touch upon our
brains and emotions and bring sustenance to imagination. Human beings’ greatest form of communication,
they walk in tandem with science and play, and best describe what it is to be human.”
-Jacques d’Amboise
217 West 147th Street, New York, NY 10039 (t) 212-226-0083 (f) 212-226-0761 www.nationaldance.org
executive staff
national dance institute
Ellen Weinstein
artistic director
Ellen Weinstein began teaching and choreographing for National Dance Institute in 1985
and was named Artistic Director in 1995. Through NDI, her work has been performed
at venues as varied as Carnegie Hall, the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, Brooklyn
Academy of Music, and with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. Her choreography, “Wade in the Water,” was featured at the White House at a state dinner hosted
by President and Mrs. Clinton. As an artistic consultant to NDI’s national outreach programs, Ms. Weinstein has set works and directed residencies in major cities across the
country. She traveled to Moscow as a consultant for NDI’s artistic exchange with the
Soviet Union and also worked with children in Madras, India. Prior to joining NDI,
she danced professionally with the Savannah Ballet, the Garden State Ballet and several
contemporary dance companies. Ms. Weinstein served as adjunct professor in process
pedagogy at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She received a BFA in Dance
from SUNY Purchase.
Kathy Landau
executive director
Kathy Landau joined NDI as Executive Director in May 2010. She brings extensive experience as a senior executive in branding, marketing and new business development. Kathy’s
diverse background includes a successful history of building high-profile brands, innovating high-impact marketing and PR strategies and securing high-visibility brand awareness.
Prior to joining NDI, Kathy was President and founder of KL Concepts Inc., a consulting and design firm with clients and strategic alliances that ranged from luxury brands
to media-driven businesses and entertainment industry leaders. Before founding her own
company, Kathy worked with Diane von Furstenberg for more than 10 years. While at
DVF Studio, she repositioned and restructured the designer’s business, building a multilevel and multi-brand organization with both domestic and international partners. Kathy
completed her formal studies at Brown University with a focus in art history and dance.
She is the mother of two NDI dancers, making her an especially strong advocate for NDI.
inspiring children through the arts
national dance institute
board of directors
officers affiliationjoined NDI
chair
Kathy MeleEducator2006
vice chairs
Edith FassbergGeneral Counsel2010
The Trout Group
Helen Stambler Neuberger
Arts Administrator 2004
Artist
secretary
Carole SobinCorporate Secretary2011
Consolidated Edison
treasurer
Robert D. KrinskyChairman Emeritus1985
The Segal Company
founder
Jacques d’Amboise Founder1976
National Dance Institute
artistic director
Ellen WeinsteinArtistic Director1996
National Dance Institute
directorsaffiliationjoined NDI
Deborah ColsonFounding Partner2012
Colson & Harris LLP
Lauren B. Cramer
Senior Associate2007
McLaughlin & Stern, LLP
Richard DeSchererChief Legal Officer1988
Bloomberg LP
Valerie T. DikerFounding Chair
1996
NDI-New Mexico
Patricia Dugan-PerlmuthSenior Vice President2013
The Corcoran Group Real Estate
Carol Travis Friscia
Community Volunteer2012
Dufftin GarciaTeacher / Choreographer / Alumnus
National Dance Institute
2006
National Dance Institute, 217 West 147 Street, New York, NY 10039 212-226-0083 www.nationaldance.org
board of directors cont’d
directors (cont’d) affiliation joined NDI
Lisa Huestis
Associate Professor, Humanities and Literature2013
The New School for Social Research
Ed Hynes Financial Advisor1996
Maximilien Maisonrouge
Associate 2015
Cahill, Gordon & Reindel
Ketty Pucci-Sisti Maisonrouge
President1991
Luxury Education Foundation
Kerry Sperling MoelisCommunity Volunteer2011
Jenny MorgenthauExecutive Director1987
Fresh Air Fund
Arnold S. PennerPrivate Real Estate Investor1988
Daniel RaynerFounding Partner2011
Rayner Rowe LLP
Nili de RothschildCommunity Volunteer1984
Anya Herz Shiva
Community Volunteer2010
Linda SingerFounder2008
Singer Travel Associates
Marc S. Solomon
Founder2014
The Solomon Organization
Eva-Maria TausigPresident1983
Nantucket Musical Arts Society
Judy WestonCommunity Volunteer2000
Yadey T. Yawand-Wossen
Managing Director2013
Asian Century Quest Capital
Shirley Young Chair2013
US-China Cultural Institute
Alex Yuan
Principal2014
StepStone Group
directors emerita
affiliationjoined NDI
Susan NewhouseCommunity Volunteer1976
Jacynth Paterson OrridgeCommunity Volunteer1991
partner schools
manhattan
IS 223/Mott Hall
Partner since 1984
71-111 Convent Avenue
(Harlem)
PS 1
Partner since 1985
8 Henry Street
(Chinatown)
PS 2
Partner since 1985
122 Henry Street
(Chinatown)
PS 6
Partner since 2013
45 East 81st Street
(Upper East Side)
PS 7
Partner since 2013
160 East 120th Street
(East Harlem)
PS 20
Partner since 2009
166 Essex Street
(Lower East Side)
PS 33/Chelsea Prep
Partner since 2006
281 9th Avenue
(Chelsea)
PS 40
Partner 1979–1998; 2005–present
319 East 19th Street
(Gramercy)
PS 41
Partner since 2006
116 West 11th Street
(Greenwich Village)
PS 77/Lower Lab
Partner since 2013
1700 Third Avenue
(Upper East Side)
PS 87
Partner since 2011
160 West 78th Street
(Upper West Side)
PS 110
Partner since 2009
285 Delancey Street
(Chinatown)
PS 123
Partner since 2011
301 West 140th Street
(Harlem)
PS 124
Partner since 1985
40 Division Street
(Chinatown)
PS 126
Partner since 2013
80 Catherine Street
(Chinatown)
PS 130
Partner since 1985
143 Baxter Street
(Chinatown)
PS 161
Partner since 2011
499 West 133rd Street
(Harlem)
PS 163
Partner since 2005
163 West 97th Street
(Upper West Side)
PS 183
Partner since 1991
419 East 66th Street
(Upper East Side)
PS 189
Partner since 1984
2580 Amsterdam Ave
(Washington Heights)
PS 199
Partner since 1997
270 West 70th Street
(Upper West Side)
PS 234
Partner since 2007
292 Greenwich Street
(Tribeca)
PS 290/Manhattan New School
Partner since 1996
311 East 82nd Street
(Upper East Side)
PS 397/Spruce Street School
Partner since 2013
12 Spruce Street
(Lower East Side)
PS 452
Partner since 2010
100 W 77th Street
(Upper West Side)
PS 859/Special Music School
Partner since 2006
129 West 67th Street
(Upper West Side)
national dance institute
The Filomen M. D’Agostino
Greenberg Music School at
Lighthouse International
Partner 1989–2004;
2008–present
111 East 59th Street
(Midtown East)
Girls Prep
Partner since 2013
442 E. Houston Street
(Lower East Side)
Hunter College
Elementary School
Partner 1981–1984; 1997–present
71 East 94th Street
(Upper East Side)
Speyer Legacy School
Partner since 2011
15 West 86th Street
(Upper West Side)
Success Academy Harlem East
Partner since 2013
141 East 11th Street
(East Harlem)
brooklyn
PS 8
Partner since 2010
37 Hicks Street
(Brookyn Heights/DUMBO)
PS 10
Partner since 2012
511 7th Avenue
(Park Slope)
PS 235
Partner since 1998
525 Lenox Road
(East Flatbush)
PS 255 /The Barbara Reing School
Partner Since 2014
1866 East 17th Street
(Gravesend)
queens
PS 45
Partner since 2012
126-128 150th Street
(South Ozone Park)
Success Academy Harlem West
Partner since 2013
215 West 114th Street
(West Harlem)
bronx
Boys Prep Bronx
Partner since 2014
1695 Seward Avenue
(South Bronx)
Girls Prep Bronx
Partner since 2013
681 Kelly Street
(South Bronx)
MS 302/Luisa Dessus Cruz
Partner since 2014
681 Kelly Street
(South Bronx)
PS 105
Partner since 2003
725 Brady Avenue
(Pelham)
Success Academy Bronx 1
Partner since 2013
339 Morris Avenue
(South Bronx)
217 West 147th Street, New York, NY 10039 (t) 212-226-0083 (f) 212-226-0761 www.nationaldance.org
history
national dance institute
2014
2011
2008
2004
The 2014 NDI Annual Gala
honors longtime supporters
and friends of NDI, Barbara
and Donald Tober, as well
as renowned chef Marcus
Samuelsson.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and
other prominent officials cut
the ribbon to NDI’s new home,
the National Dance Institute
Center for Learning & the
Arts, on West147th Street in
Harlem.
The 2008 Event of the Year:
Volando a México, directed
by NDI Master Teacher
Dr. Jenny Seham, is the
culmination of a year-long
study of Mexico. 11 children
from ConArte in Mexico City
participate in the Event.
NDI’S Tiny Tots are re-named
the First Team, in memory
of long-time supporter and
Board Member Joanna First.
2007
The 2004 Event of the Year:
My Place is directed by
Jacques d’Amboise.
NDI’s 2014 Event of the
Year, Under One Sky: NDI
Dances China, is conceived
and directed by NDI Master
Teaching Artist Kay Gayner
and features children from
Shanghai, China.
2013
NDI opens the doors of the
NDI Center to the general
public for the first annual
Open House celebration.
NDI dancers in New York and
Shanghai perform together
utilizing the NDI Center’s
TelePresence technology for
the first time.
The 2013 NDI Annual Gala
honors longtime board
member and friend, Robert
D. Krinsky along with star of
stage and screen - and parent
of an NDI alum - Mandy
Patinkin.
A delegation travels to China
to conduct NDI Teacher
Training Workshops in
partnership with the Shanghai
Welfare Children’s Palace.
The 2011 Event of the Year:
A Sense of Wonder: Science
& the Arts Play Together,
conceived by Jacques
d’Amboise and Kay Gayner,
features Dr. Robert Benezra
as The Narrator.
2010
NDI purchases an
18,000-square-feet space in
Harlem that will serve as the
organization’s permanent
home.
NDI participates in an
exchange with the Shanghai
Children’s Palace. An NDI
delegation travels to China
to create a new work with
choreographer Dou Dou
NDI’s 2013 Event of the Year,
Huang entitled “The Red
The Big Easy: NDI Celebrates Thread.” Children and
New Orleans, is conceived
artists from Shanghai attend
and directed by NDI Master
the 2010 Irene Diamond
Teaching Artist Mary Kennedy. Summer Institute.
Five NDI dancers travel to
Shanghai, China to perform
in a nationally televised
event celebrating the 60th
Anniversary of the China
Welfare Institute Children’s
Palace.
2012
B.D. Wong emcees a
Star Party Benefit at
the NDI Center, featuring
performances by Broadway
luminaries including Victoria
Clark, Brian Stokes Mitchell,
Jessica Molaskey and others.
The 2010 Event of the Year:
The Storyteller, conceived and
directed by Jacques d’Amboise
and Ellen Weinstein, features
Isaiah Sheffer, Allegra Kent,
Terese Capucilli and Frank
Wood.
2009
The 2009 Event of the Year:
Imagine: A Celebration of
John Lennon, directed by Ellen
Weinstein, is the culmination
of a year-long study of the life
and legacy of John Lennon.
NDI re-launches a program
with The Filomen M.
NDI’s 2012 Event of the
D’Agostino Greenberg
Year, Inner Vistions: A
Music School at Lighthouse
Celebration of Stevie Wonder, International for dancers who
is conceived and directed by
are blind or visually impaired.
NDI Master Teaching Artist
Bianca Johnson.
inspiring children through the arts
The Celebration Team
performs in the 2007 Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade.
NDI hosts children from Bali
at the 2007 Irene Diamond
Summer Institute.
Founder Jacques d’Amboise is
inducted in to the Academy
of Arts & Sciences.
The 2007 Event of the Year:
An African Village: Postcards
from Potou, directed by Ellen
Weinstein, is inspired by the
work of economist Jeffrey
Sachs and his goal to end
extreme poverty worldwide.
Thousands of New York City
public school children raise
more than $25,000 in pennies,
nickels and dimes for the
village of Potou, Senegal.
2006
NDI senior staff travel to the
village of Potou, Senegal at
the invitation of economist
Jeffrey Sachs.
20 NDI dancers and alumni
go to Shanghai, China for a
month-long residency.
2003
NDI is awarded The
President’s Committee on
the Arts and Humanities’
Coming Up Taller Award by
Laura Bush.
The 2003 Event of the Year:
Never Doubt Imagination is
directed by Associate Artistic
Director Tracy Straus.
2002
NDI dancers perform in the
first annual September
Concert, establishing a
long term connection with
this worldwide tribute
remembering those lost on
September 11, 2001.
The 2002 Event of the Year:
The Spirit of New York is
directed by Ellen Weinstein.
2001
“Look Who’s Dancin’ Now,”
NDI Master Teacher Kay
the follow-up to the Academy
Gayner directs the 2006 Event Award-winning “He Makes Me
of the Year: A Midsummer
Feel Like Dancin’ “ airs on PBS.
Night’s Dream.
The 2001 Event of the Year:
NDI Master Teacher Jenny
Romeo and Juliet features
Seham trains artists with
music and lyrics by Jacques
ConArte in Mexico City
d’Amboise and Music Director
to launch an NDI-inspired
Jerome Korman. The Event is
program, Aprender con Danza. dedicated to the memory of
Raphael de Rothschild.
NDI teaching artist Mary
Kennedy and NDI dancer
2000
Jamal Wyse travel to Bali as
part of a cultural exchange.
NDI dancers and alumni
gather for the first annual
2005
Dance-A-Thon fundraiser.
The 2005 Event of the Year:
It’s All Relative is directed
by Associate Artistic Director
Tracy Straus and celebrates
the life and genius of Albert
Einstein.
The 2000 Event of the Year:
20th Century American Song:
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit
of Happiness is directed by
Lori Klinger.
history cont.
1999
Jacques d’Amboise, with
his son George, hikes the
Appalachian Trail, raising
money for NDI and teaching
dance along the way.
The 1999 Event of the Year:
Step by Step by Ellington is
conceived and directed by
Ellen Weinstein.
The Irene Diamond Fund
establishes ongoing, multiyear support for NDI’s
Summer Institute.
1993
Phil Donahue invites NDI
children to perform with
him for his 25th anniversary
television show.
NDI returns to Madison
Square Garden with the
1993 Event of the Year:
Jacques d’Amboise is awarded Amerimusica II.
the National Medal of Arts
by President Clinton.
1992
1998
NDI’s Teacher Training
program is established.
The 1998 Event of the Year:
City, City, directed by Ellen
Weinstein, takes place for the
first time at LaGuardia High
School for the Performing
Arts.
1997
The 1992 Event of the Year:
Amerimusica, directed by
Ellen Weinstein, celebrates
the widely varied cultures of
the Americas during the past
500 years and features original
music by David Amram.
1991
June 3, 1991 is declared
Jacques d’Amboise and
“National Dance Institute
Dufftin Garcia travel to Tel
Day” by New York City Mayor
Aviv and the West Bank for an Rudolph W. Giuliani.
international residency.
More than 1,500 children,
The 1997 Event of the Year:
including dancers from
Dancing up a Story takes
Madras, India, perform for two
place at The Delacorte Theater. weeks at Brooklyn Academy
of Music in the 1991 Event
1996
of the Year: Chakra starring
Malika Sarabai.
President Clinton and the First
Lady invite NDI children to
1989
perform in the Rose Garden
at the White House for the
NDI’s Adopt-A-School
Greek State Dinner.
program is launched.
The 1996 Event of the
Year: This Joint is Jumpin’ is
directed by Ellen Weinstein.
An NDI associate program,
Trenton Educational Dance
Institute, is founded.
1995
The 1989 Event of the Year:
Meilleurs Amis features
Jacques d’Amboise is awarded scenery and sets by Red
the Kennedy Center Honors, Grooms.
the same year Ellen Weinstein
is named Artistic Director.
1988
The 1995 Event of the Year:
The NDI Alumni Association
Fat City takes place for the
is founded.
first time in Central Park at the
The Delacorte Theater.
NDI partners with Very
Special Arts to create a dance
26 NDI dancers perform at
program for children who are
the 50th Anniversary of the blind or visually impaired.
United Nations in Geneva,
Switzerland, underwritten
Jacques d’Amboise directs
by the Japanese company
the 1988 Event of the Year:
Felissimo.
A Day in the Life of Coney
Island with the North Bondi
1994
Lifesaving Team from Australia
as guests.
Children from the earth’s
geological extremes take part
in the 1994 Event of the Year:
Rosebud’s Song.
1987
1982
A Celebration of Literature
unites important American
writers, composers, visual
artists, and choreographers
to create short, theatrical
ballets for children. “We Real
Cool” is created from the
poem by Gwendolyn Brooks,
and is filmed in a vacant lot
in New York City’s Lower East
side, with a backdrop mural
designed by Red Grooms.
During the 1982 Event of the
Year: Fat City, Christopher
d’Amboise, Judy Collins,
Patricia McBride, Mary Tyler
Moore, John Schuck, Janet
Eilber, Kevin Kline and The
NYPD Dancing Police join
1,000 NDI children on stage at
Madison Square Garden’s Felt
Forum. The Event is filmed as
part of the documentary “He
Makes Me Feel Like Dancin.’
“
The 1987 Event of the Year:
A Celtic Tale takes place at
1981
Madison Square Garden and
features a moveable sculpture Nancy Reagan invites Jacques
by Helena Blumenfeld.
d’Amboise and a group of
hearing and hearing-impared
1986
NDI children to the White
House at holiday time for
NDI does its first cultural
a demonstration of NDI
exchange with China, and
teaching methods.
56 children from China come
to NYC to perform with 1,500 Over 1,000 children
NDI dancers in the 1986
perform in the 1981 Event
Event of the Year: China Dig. of the Year: Texas Duke.
Jacques d’Amboise writes,
1985
choreographs, and directs
this spoof of a border town
1,500 children perform in
incident in a saloon on the
the 1985 Event of the Year:
Rio Grande. New York City
Andrew Jackson and the
Police perform with New York
Battle of New Orleans, which City Ballet dancers to a song
stars Donlin Foreman and Ann written by Balanchine.
Reinking.
1980
NDI holds a school-wide
residency at P.S. 29 in
The 1980 Event of the Year:
Brooklyn and premieres the
Big Mama features 800 NDI
work The Shooting of Dan
dancers and is co-hosted by
McGrew, featuring original
Judy Collins and Tony Randall.
music by Galt McDermott and
underwritten by Joseph Papp. 1979
1984
“He Makes Me Feel
Like Dancin’ “ wins Best
Documentary category at
the 56th Annual Academy
Awards. NDI dancers perform
in Hollywood.
The 1984 Event of the Year:
The Knack, with scenery by
Red Grooms, features Richard
Kiley and Chloris Leachman.
1983
The 1983 Event of the Year:
The Three Musketeers,
inspired by the Alexandre
Dumas adventure story,
features over 1,000 children at
Madison Square Garden’s Felt
Forum.
Christopher d’Amboise,
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Judy
Collins, and Patricia McBride
join 400 boys and girls for the
1979 Event of the Year at
Madison Square Garden’s Felt
Forum.
1978
The 1978 Event of the Year:
Dance Space takes place at
New York State Theater, and
100 dancing boys participate.
1977
The first annual NDI Event
of the Year: Dance on a
May Day takes place at New
York State Theater, between
the matinee and evening
performances. 30 boys
participate.
1976
NDI is founded by New York
City Ballet principal dancer
Jacques d’Amboise.
217 West 147th Street, New York, NY 10039 (t) 212-226-0083 (f) 212-226-0761 www.nationaldance.org