COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

SHARED ABILITY

New Haven Ballet’s Shared Ability program consists of weekly dance workshops for differently abled artists aged 10+ years. Classes are lead by Kerry Kincy, a teaching artist who uses dance as a tool to build social and cognitive abilities. This wonderful program affords participating artists, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other challenges, and their families, a chance to dance, meet, interact and share their unique experiences with one another in a safe and supportive environment.

New Haven Ballet began Shared Ability in February 2009 as a choreography project for differently abled children and student dancers from New Haven Ballet. The goals of the program include increasing New Haven Ballet’s accessibility, creating an opportunity for New Haven Ballet and differently abled artists to meet, interact, and share their experiences and skills, and fulfilling New Haven Ballet’s mission:

“To provide the greater New Haven Community with exceptional classical ballet training, performances, and outreach programs, which nurture appreciation of ballet and foster the joy of dance.”

DANCE AIR

DanceAIR is a community program offered by New Haven Ballet, which offers dance to children in New Haven who might not otherwise have access to high quality arts education. Through DanceAIR, students expand their understanding and appreciation of dance and the performing arts, learn basic dance technique and choreography, and have an opportunity to express themselves artistically by combining musicality and rhythm. They experience the discipline and physicality of dance, which emphasizes focus, athleticism, coordination, artistry, strength, balance, flexibility, and the rewards of hard work.

DanceAIR targets students who are interested in dance, but would likely not have an opportunity to learn about and experience the art form without DanceAIR. Since 2014, DanceAIR has reached 2nd grade students at many public elementary schools in New Haven. New Haven Public Schools that have offered DanceAIR training include: Fair Haven School, Columbus Family Academy, John S. Martinez School, Lincoln Bassett School, Quinnipiac School, and East Rock School.

Specifically, DanceAIR provides:

• Dance Classes – Teachers provide weekly dance instruction for ten+ weeks in each school. The program is usually offered during regular school hours, but is also offered as an after-school program. Each class includes a warm-up with stretches using basic ballet technique, floor work grounded in ballet technique, teamwork through choreographing and rehearsing a dance piece, and a cool-down.

• Community Performance – DanceAIR students are invited to perform and demonstrate what they learn at a community performance. These performances have featured accomplished dancers from Dance Theater of Harlem and Nutmeg Conservatory’s Professional Training Programs. The NHB Company of pre-professional dancers also perform.
• Scholarships – NHB offers scholarships to all students from each school who successfully complete the program. DanceAIR students demonstrate exceptional talent, dedication and aptitude. Scholarships include tuition for multiple dance classes a week at NHB School for one year, performance fees, dancewear, and a stipend for transportation. Past DanceAIR winners have received financial aid to supplement their dance training after the DanceAIR scholarship has concluded. These students are training to the fullest extent and participating in every performance.

If your school is interested in offering DanceAIR or for information on how you can help make dreams come true by supporting the program please call: 203.782.9038.