Galit Adani is bringing diversity through dance to kids. With the help of dancer-volunteers, Adani runs Dance to Unite, a program that teaches dance from all over the world to New York school kids in first through eighth grade through partnerships and afterschool programs.
Why dance?
I think art speaks many languages without a language. I’m originally from Israel, but coming here and learning about hip-hop, it opened me up so much to the culture. Without speaking words, dance says something. Hip-hop can have a little bit of an attitude, whereas ballet is more classical. Flamenco can tell a story of pride. The importance of teaching diversity to children is that by doing so we also assist with the challenge of bullying. When kids learn that it’s not only OK to be different but it’s something to celebrate, it brings unity to schools.
Why is it important for you as an artist to learn about more cultures?
At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. We all feel the same way. How do you bring unity to the schools? You can learn about difference in a negative way. So we focus on positivity.
What do you look for in volunteers?
A lot of our volunteers are young college students who heard about us online or by word of mouth. But the first thing that I ask is, “How do you feel about the mission?” And 100 percent of them are passionate about what we do. They commit to a full year, and that is a big commitment. If it’s a professional dancer who wants to travel the world, this might not be the venue for them. But [it’s for] someone in psychology or education or who was a professional dancer and just wants to give back. This program needs to be more than a month. I find that to make an impact you need to really be there, especially for the kids that we serve. [Volunteers] don’t have to have a record of being in a company or traveling the world, but they have to have some kind of background [in dance].
Is having a diverse set of teachers important?
I never said, “I need an Indian teacher, I need a flamenco teacher.” We have ballroom and ballet, hip-hop, and step. Kathak, a form of Indian dance, came organically. The mission speaks to a lot of people and dancers, and as dancers in New York City, they come from different places in the world and that is a perfect match with us. It’s perfect and beautiful.
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