On April 28, 2014 National Dance Institute (NDI) held their annual Gala which included performances by some of NDI’s 6000 public school students showcasing Chinese dance as part of NDI’s collaboration with China, “Dancing into the Future: I Can, Too.” Ambassador Sun Guoxiang and his wife Wang Min and Deputy Consul General Zhang Meifang attended as honorable guests. Honorary Gala Chairs included Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Noth and Debra Messing, with Charlotte d’Amboise and Terrence Mann of the Tony award-winning Pippin as emcees. Celebrity guests in attendance included Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley, Tiler Peck, Robert Fairchild, Sophia Bush, Betty Who and Charlotte Ross.

“ This program represents a great example of cultural exchange allowing Chinese children and American children– our future citizens– to share their culture through NDI’s prize winning pedagogy, using dance for children’s social development,” said Ambassador Sun.

ABOUT THE NDI CHINA COLLABORATION:
“Dancing into the Future – I Can, Too” is a three-year pilot program (2011-2014) of collaboration between US National Dance Institute, CWI Song Ching Ling Children’s Palace and Minhang School District; and the US-China Cultural Institute as co-organizer, using dance and music for the social development of children, including children of migrant workers. NDI has been training local teachers in the Minhang district in the award-winning pedagogy that it has developed over the past 38 years. “Dancing into the Future – I Can, Too” has expanded from one school to 22 schools, serving over 3000 children. From 2015 onwards, the program will be extended to all Minhang schools, reaching thousands more children as part of the required middle-school curriculum. A research study evaluation of the project by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences is to be released in December of 2014.

ABOUT NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE:
National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d’Amboise, and leads the field of arts education with a model program that has been studied and replicated worldwide. Under the Artistic Direction of Ellen Weinstein, NDI uses dance and music to instill in students a love of the arts, a passion for learning and a desire to strive for his or her personal best. At the root of NDI’s methodology is the belief that the arts have a unique power to engage all children—regardless of background, ability or socio-economic status—and motivate them toward excellence. In addition to programming in New York City, NDI has 11 Associate Programs in the United States as well as one in Shanghai, China. In 2011, NDI opened the doors to the National Dance Institute Center for Learning & the Arts on 147th Street in Harlem, allowing the organization to further its mission and expand its reach. The NDI Center serves as a beacon for children, teachers and artists in the community and worldwide. Since its founding, NDI has impacted the lives of over two million children…free of charge.