Throughout the year, our diverse community is proud to provide our students opportunities for collaboration, to express themselves, and that celebrate movement. We believe that the student experience is an important aspect of the soft skills necessary for success. Our rich program harnesses the vibrance of our New York City campus to combine theory with practice through opportunities for performance, professional development, and travel.
Kaleidoscope Dancers
Kaleidoscope Dancers is our resident performing company that provides community-based programming to local New York City schoolchildren. The company is dedicated to creating connections between professional dancers and children. Through performances and movement workshops facilitated by company members, students will participate in an interactive workshop that introduces elements of dance and dance-making in a fun, collaborative environment. Kaleidoscope Dance Company is composed of master's students in the Dance Education Graduate Program at NYU Steinhardt and facilitated by artistic director Deborah Damast and musical director Brad Wentworth.
Master's and Faculty Dance Concerts
Each semester, students participate in performances of original choreography created by graduate students in the program and/or our distinguished faculty. All performances take place at The Frederick Loewe Theatre and often include works created through our Uganda study abroad program.
Student Group SDEA (NDEO/NYSDEA)
The Steinhardt Dance Education Association (SDEA) is the NYU student chapter of the National Dance Education Organization. We provide resources and opportunities to dance education graduate students on the topics of K-12 schools, dance studios, colleges, community centers, and more. We represent NYU at the National Dance Education Organization and New York State Dance Education Association conferences, fundraise, plan events and inform students through our newsletters. Leadership matters!
Professional Development
Throughout this two-semester course, students are exposed to resources in the University and NYC communities. This may include presentations by faculty and guests who have expertise in areas that impact the profession of dance education such as anatomy and kinesiology, technology for the contemporary classroom, specialized dance technique, funding, and inclusion. Students also learn from representatives from artistic, research, and education venues in the city. Students engage in a series of selected experiential lecture/demonstrations, workshops, and visits with professionals who promote arts and education programs.
Study Abroad in Uganda
Students learn how to teach, create, and perform dance and to build community through the lens of another culture. They have the opportunity to collaborate with professional dancers, educators, and students from the Royal Ballet Academy and from local universities in Kampala, Uganda. Students take classes in traditional Ugandan dance, East African drumming, and teaching methodology, and then implement lesson plans with children from local centers and community organizations. Field trips to cultural and historic sites and a culminating performance at the National Theatre supplement the in-class experience.
Black History Month
Throughout the month of February, the Music and Performing Arts Professions department and Dance Education program celebrate Black History Month, paying homage to such African American trailblazers as Lenny White, Harriet Tubman, Melina Matsoukas, and others. Students enjoy numerous free events and opportunities to celebrate African American Culture including a concert featuring student performances of music, compositions, poetry, and dance in celebration of our diversity.