A group of dancers, including students and instructors in Alvin Ailey t-shirts, stand on stage with their arms raised high. They are performing a synchronized movement, all looking upward, showcasing unity and focus. The backdrop is a black curtain, emphasizing their poses.

AileyDance Kids

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ABOUT
Residency Types
Add-Ons
Booking
Sponsors
Related Programs

ABOUT

The joy of dance continues to be celebrated with each audience member, community member, and student reached by the AILEY organization. Through AileyDance Kids, thousands of children have the opportunity to envision their potential, imagine possibilities, and feel the joy of dance as they experience AILEY each year.

AileyDance Kids is an inclusive dance education program that works with public, charter, private, and independent schools and community organizations in the New York City metropolitan area, serving grades Pre-K through 12. Programs are offered in a comprehensive format and created to meet the individual needs of each school during both in-school and after-school hours.

Making dances is an act of progress; it is an act of growth, an act of music, an act of teaching, an act of celebration, an act of joy.

Alvin Ailey

AileyDance Kids (ADK) offers residencies that are structured to implement and achieve the goals of the New York City Department of Education's Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Dance for Pre-K through grade 12 students and are aligned with the New York State Learning Standards in the Arts.

Residencies can also be linked to students’ academic curriculum. Experienced dance teachers and musicians from Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs conduct these classes. West African, creative movement, and modern dance classes are accompanied by a percussionist. Support materials are distributed, which serve as an introduction to AILEY, the accomplishments of Alvin Ailey, and the artistry of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Included are biographies, news articles, interviews, and reviews, as well as a Resource Guide for Educators that contains lesson ideas, a dance glossary, and both pre- and post-performance discussion ideas.

Residencies can be customized for each school. A minimum of two consecutive classes per day is required, with a maximum of five per day that we recommend taking place over the course of 10 to 12 weeks. Year-long residencies (up to 25 weeks) can be requested. We offer instruction in various techniques and styles, including modern, creative movement (grades Pre-K through 2), ballet, West African, Afro-Caribbean, jazz, hip hop, percussion, and musical theater dance. Public, charter, private, and independent schools and community organizations should contact Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs staff for individual residency options and costs. AileyDance Kids is a registered vendor for the New York City Department of Education, Nassau BOCES, Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, and works with Newark Board of Education Schools.

Residency Types

In-School Programs for Pre-K Through 12

Full-Year Residency

The students and teacher facing the camera and reaching their arms out

Seasonal 10–12 Week School Residencies

Fall or Spring Residency

A Middle School Curriculum Based on Alvin Ailey's 'Revelations'

Revelations: An Interdisciplinary Approach

A One-Week Program Exploring Alvin Ailey's 'Night Creature'

Night Creature: An Imaginative Journey Through Dance

Add-Ons

Make your residency even more memorable by adding on one or more of these specialty offerings.

Group of young dancers surrounding AileyDance Kids instructors with all hands reaching toward a drum

Intro to Indigenous West African Music

Percussion Lecture Demonstration

A male and female dance instructor lead a workshop for a group of people of all ages.

Intergenerational Activities at Your School

Family Fun Night

See Students from The Ailey School Perform

Dancers from The Ailey School

A group of dancers perform a dramatic routine on stage, illuminated by warm, reddish lighting. One dancer lies on the floor while others strike expressive poses, showcasing fluid and synchronized movements against a dark background.

Attend a Matinee Performance by Ailey II

School-Time Performance for Residency Students

Additional add-ons include touring The Joan Weill Center for Dance and enjoying discounted group tickets at family matinees. For more information about these offerings, please contact [email protected].

AIE Teaching Artist Cedric Green leads AileyDance Kids at Dual Language MS

Booking

Bring Ailey to your School! Submit our booking request form and an AAIE staff member will get in touch with you about how to bring AileyDance Kids to your school.

Booking Request

AileyDance Kids class

Ailey Dance Kids raising their arms wide apart

AileyDance Kids class

A teacher instructing students to raise their arms up

AileyDance Kids class

AileyDance Kids at Dual Language Middle School

AileyDance Kids at Dual Language MS Photo by Nicole Tintle

Sponsors

_{Leadership support for AILEY Arts In Education & Community Programs is provided through The Simin & Herb Allison Arts In Education Endowment Fund}

_{Major support for AileyDance Kids in Newark provided by The Prudential Foundation.}

_{Support has also been provided by The Altschul Foundation, Milton and Ruth Berman Family Foundation, Charles Evan Hughes Memorial Fund, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Find Your Light Foundation,Helmsley Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, Littlejohn Family Foundation, Meringoff Family Foundation, Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, Staten Island Foundation, Tiger Baron Foundation, Venable Foundation, and other generous donors.}

_{Support has also been provided by public funds from the New York City Department of cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Members Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Eric Dinowitz, Julie Menin, Sandy Nurse, and Julie Won.}

_{AILEY programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.}