Press & News
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NDI Announces Jermaine Jones as Executive Director
NEW YORK, March 16, 2023 - NDI, the non-profit arts education organization that delivers award-winning dance and music programs to thousands of children worldwide, announces that Jermaine Jones will join the organization as Executive Director. Jones joins the acclaimed organization alongside NDI’s Artistic Director Kay Gayner and Board Chair Marc Solomon. He is the current NDI Board Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Finance Committee, and former controller of Brighton Health Plan Solutions. Jones will assume his new role on March 20th. National Dance Institute was founded by legendary ballet dancer and arts education champion Jacques d’Amboise in the belief that all children should have access to high quality arts education. Each year NDI engages thousands of children of all backgrounds and abilities through its unique NDI Method, an approach to teaching that has become a widely adopted model for arts education programs around the globe. In addition to delivering transformative programming [...]
Kids With Disabilities Are Getting To Dance Like Never Before
March 12, 2018 | A Plus Online Magazine | By Katie Ward "Everyone can — and should — have the chance to dance." Dance is a powerful form of expression that can be used to communicate who you are, and how you feel. The amazing people at the National Dance Institute (NDI) know this better than most, and believe everyone, of all abilities, should have the opportunity to dance. That's why they created the DREAM Project or Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement, a semi-annual week-long inclusive dance program for children who are differently-abled. Each child who goes to DREAM gets partnered with a neuro-typical peer who helps them get the most out of the program through teamwork. At the end of the five days, all the kids get to put on a performance to celebrate their hard work and achievements. We got to sit down and talk with three [...]
Harlem World Magazine Interviews NDI Executive Director, Traci Lester
Listen to Harlem resident, mom, and former elementary school teacher Traci Lester, executive director of Harlem-based National Dance Institute (NDI), as they discuss a new Harlem history focused dance curriculum for the new school year and more with host Danny Tisdale, on The Danny Tisdale Show.
Artsy: The Photographer who Immortalized the Movement of the New York City Ballet
"Swope viewed Balanchine and his muses—among them Allegra Kent, Suzanne Farrell, Patricia McBride, and Jacques d’Amboise—with intimacy and tenderness. The genius technique and style of Farrell and Balanchine, especially when she danced under his tutelage, often softens into vulnerability through her lens."
Absolute magic: National Dance Institute marks 10 years of Dream Project performances
News 12 | Mar 11, 2024 | By News 12 Staff Dancers with the National Dance Institutes' Dream Project were ready to get to work ahead of their 10th annual performance. The program is part of the curriculum of 50 schools throughout New York City – giving dancers of all abilities a stage to strut their stuff. News 12’s Jordan Kissane went behind-the-scenes during a rehearsal and spoke with Dream Project co-creator Dr. Agnes McConlogue Ferro. "We know that magic is in inclusion. The magic is in dance. And we saw this firsthand with the children who were our very first participants. Some of whom are still with us and some who are not,” she said. Learn more about the Dream Project at the National Dance Institute website. See News 12's story with video here.