Dance to Unite is committed to creating positive experiences for children to develop understanding, acceptance, respect, and compassion for their own culture and those of their peers. We achieve this through intensive, academic-year-long programs in New York City elementary and middle schools and afterschool programs where we employ our unique Dance to Unite method which combines dance and conversations with student engagement rooted in core, proven social emotional learning (SEL) principles.
In the current school year 2024-2025, Dance to Unite is partnering with 14 after-school programs, providing 16 classes a week from October to June, full school year-round, serving 302 underserved students who reside in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Chinatown, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
In addition, in July 2024, Dance to Unite served 57 students with a special summer program.
Dance to Unite classes are offered to underserved students in elementary and middle school.
Dance to Unite classes operate on a weekly basis, full school year-round, from October to June.
Dance to Unite has taught over 2500 students since 2009.
Dance to Unite serves 302 students in 2024-2025 school year which include 14 after-school programs, in total of 16 classes a week, from October to June.
Dance to Unite provides internship opportunities to aspiring teachers that can lead to a paid position as a Dance to Unite Teaching Artist in NYC’s public schools.
Dance to Unite teachers teach a dance style that is according to their individual dance training and weave in the Dance to Unite Teaching Method into their dance instruction, they choose “clean” music with a positive message for the warm-up and choreography part of class.
Fact: There are an estimated 176 languages spoken by students in the NYC public schools, and approximately 1/3 of all New Yorkers were born in another country. Dance to Unite provides opportunities for children to experience and learn the value of cultural diversity.
Circle Talk
Circle Talk is the part of the Dance to Unite class that offers an Educational Curriculum with SEL (Social Emotional Learning) through guided conversations, which holds the core essence of Dance to Unite’s mission.
Dance to Unite class starts with Circle Talk, where students and teachers sit in a circle for 5-10 minutes.
Dance to Unite teachers will guide the students in the 13 Steps to Unity values, one value per class, during Circle Talk.
The purpose of the conversations about values is to open Dance to Unite students’ minds to understand, accept, respect and celebrate themselves, each other and cultural diversity.
13 Steps to Unity Curriculum
13 Steps to Unity is the Educational SEL Curriculum for our school year that is comprised of the name of the program: Dance to Unite, and these additional values: Culture, Acceptance, Compassion, Respect, Positive Intention, Giving, Kindness, Caring, Bonding, Love, Peace and Unity.
Dance to Unite teachers will weave The 13 Steps to Unity, through guided conversations during Circle Talk, throughout the school year, one value per class.
Dance to Unite teachers will continue to weave each of the 13 values during the dance instruction part of class which comes after Circle Talk. It is the students’ exemplification of the values that gain the teacher’s praise rather than dance abilities.
Students “live out” the values and receive positive reinforcement from their teachers when they act in kindness; help each other, offer support to others, show compassion, work as a team and respect others’ differences.
Supplemental Special Workshops
Throughout the school year, every Dance to Unite weekly class receives its own one special workshop that is taught by diverse guest artist/s, to provide Dance to Unite students with a supplemental interactive experience of cultural education.
Circle Talk’s values come to life by having guided conversations with the guest artist/s and celebrating additional cultures through an interactive experience of learning a different dance style, art workshop, and/or other unique values based cultural programs.
To see highlights from some of our special workshops over the years check out: Gallery Special Workshops
To learn about some of our guest artists over the years check out: Guest Artists
END OF SCHOOL YEAR Performances
Dance to Unite students rehearse a unique dance routine in every weekly class throughout the school year. The dance routine is based on a song with a clean, positive message.
Dance to Unite classes culminate with an end of the school year dance performance and presentation of the 13 Steps to Unity that is performed by Dance to Unite students for fellow school students, staff, parents and members of the community.
To see some of Dance to Unite early years’ end of school year rehearsals and performances check out: Gallery Student Performances
To see our most recent end of school year rehearsals and performances check out our Instagram platform.
Pledge of Unity
ART Project
Dance to Unite students create an art fabric banner project at the end of the school year.
Students and teachers trace their hands and sign their name inside as a pledge of unity and a commitment to continue to apply each value of the 13 Steps to Unity in their day to day lives and in the future.
