SWAT Team, Celebration Team,
and Summer Institute
National Dance Institute, Inc.

Young dancers practice their technique at NDI’s Summer Institute.

Photo: Eduardo Patino

At 15, Jacques d'Amboise joined the New York City Ballet to escape from street life and to learn the rigors and joys of dance. Experiencing how the medium of dance had changed his life, he sought to bring this opportunity to other children. In 1976, d'Amboise founded the National Dance Institute (NDI) to introduce children to dance. Over the years, the NDI has taught the fundamentals of dance to at least 75,000 children across the country.

From its home base in New York City, NDI partners with 20 public schools to introduce children to dance through a combination of in-school, weekend, and summer programs. Receiving the Coming Up Taller Award are the three out-of-school programs: the SWAT (Scholarships for the Willing, Achieving, and Talented) Team; the Celebration Team; and the Summer Institute.

The SWAT Team invites 100 dancers from the grade-inclusive in-school programs to receive advanced dance instruction for five hours on Saturdays during the school year. Children who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to NDI training are invited to join the most advanced performance troupe: the Celebration Team.

NDI's Celebration Team is an elite troupe of 75 talented dancers who spend every Saturday learning complex choreography. The team has performed at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and the United Nations, among other prestigious locations.

Participants in the Summer Institute are either SWAT Team or Celebration Team members. They are selected for both their enthusiasm and their talent and take part in a program of ballet, jazz, tap, musical theater, and ethnic dance. The Institute is a month-long, five-days-per-week, six-hours-a-day instruction program that gives young people a strong technical dance foundation, as well as choreography experience.

The impact of the NDI experience is well-documented. Participants make significant gains in their grades, on standardized tests, and in teacher ratings, according to one assessment. After graduating from the advanced weekend and summer program, many alumni become dance and arts teachers, mentors, and leaders in their communities. Another measure of the power of the NDI experience is the close relationship that many graduates maintain with the Institute: They often stay connected as chaperones for younger students; as interns and mentors at other NDI programs; and as stage managers, event producers, and stage crew for the annual Dance-A-Thon fundraising event.

An inspiration and model for other community leaders and educators, independent programs based on NDI's exist in California; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; Ohio; Texas; Virginia; and Washington, DC.