Citydance Ensemble Inc

CityDance, based in Washington, DC, seeks to advance the appreciation for and participation in dance through excellence in performance, education and artistic innovation.  Founded 15 years ago, CityDance provides dance training and education throughout the DC metropolitan area including the Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, where its Conservatory trains young dancers for professional careers; the Center at DC Dance Collective; The Madeira School in McLean, VA as well as many other area public, private and Charter Schools. CityDance’s community programs, located at 20 sites across the region, provide free performances, after-school programs and summer camps to over 15,000 students a year in our most under-resourced neighborhoods and schools. CityDance was the 2010 winner of the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education.

CityDance’s Early Arts & Community Programs division ensures that children from DC’s most underserved neighborhoods have access to free dance classes and performances. With trained instructors teaching in more than 20 schools and community centers across the Washington, DC metropolitan area each year, CityDance's community programs reveal the joy of movement and dance to children of all ages and backgrounds. We are committed to engaging and empowering a new generation of youth through dance.

Last year, CityDance’s Early Arts & Community Programs was awarded the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution to Arts Education. This award is due in no small part to our valued partnerships with other community-based organizations, such as D.A.R.E. America, the Sitar Center, KIPP DC Charter Schools, DC Public Schools (direct contracts), the Perry School, KidPowerDC, the Levine School of Music and others.

Also at the core of this success is our flagship DREAM program, which uses dance as a vehicle to teach students how to become advocates for change in their own lives and in their communities. DREAM is a 32-week, four-hour a week program that engages students through dance to become better citizens and leaders. With over 150 hours of instruction per student/per year this intensive program provides students with a supportive environment.

Through three field trip rehearsals, a performance at the Washington Wizards half-time show, a self-produced community performance at THEARC, and special “community shows,” students develop social and civic competencies, while also building close and meaningful relationships with their peers and instructors.

 

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