New York dancers rejoice! Whether you’re looking for Broadway training, contemporary or ballet, salsa or African, the area’s plethora of dance studios and classes are as diverse as the Big Apple itself.
Broadway-bound dancers are cutting their teeth and pointing their toes at Broadway Dance Center. Located on the Upper West Side and with over 80 faculty members teaching an array of skills and styles for all ages, it’s a dancer’s haven for talents seasoned and novice alike. Also on the Upper West Side, Steps on Broadway is for a similarly diverse set with dance programs for children as young as 3 months old! Plus they’ve got a roster of some excellent Broadway dance instructors passing their knowledge to the masses.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is another excellent option for dancers to learn from some of the best in the bizz. A world-renowned modern dance company that infuses African-American identity into movement, its highly selective Ailey School program is generally best for performers pursuing dance as a career. But the company opens its doors for dancers of all skillsets through its acclaimed Ailey Extension program.
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Now to set our sights across the river: Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene, Mark Morris Dance Group is for beginner to advanced dancers that value community as much as they do choreography. Its renowned facility hits all the marks for a dancer’s needs, including audio and visual equipment, free-for-use pianos, extracurricular fitness classes, and outside the ballet-jazz box classes like world dance. Another place to look if you want world dance is the Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance. Also located in Brooklyn (this time in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood), this school’s singular identity is all in the name.
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