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Neglia Ballet’s Outreach Program: CityDance aims to increase long-term access to arts instruction, specifically in dance, for youth living in under-resourced communities of Buffalo.
Through CityDance, during the academic school day, groups of Buffalo Public School third-grade students are bussed (or walk) from their school to Neglia’s studios, where they are immersed in series of dance classes. Once the workshop is complete, students demonstrate what they’ve learned for their schoolmates back at their schools.
Students who show particular interest or potential in dance are offered scholarships to continue their training at Neglia Ballet during the summer and fall. Some students who show serious interest and commitment may receive financial support to continue ballet for multiple years, carrying them through high school graduation fully prepared to audition for colleges or ballet companies.
Neglia Ballet began CityDance in 2001 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mark’s Family Foundation and through corporate support. Originally, CityDance was modeled after other successful partnerships between professional ballet companies and public schools, such as Dance Chance run by the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Dance in Schools operated by the San Francisco Ballet.
From 2001-2015 the model enabled Neglia to provide over 25,000 students with the opportunity to experience professional ballet and participate in free workshops. In 2016, the program was revised to have a deeper impact on its participants while continuing to expose thousands of students a year to live ballet performances at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.
CityDance relies on funding from individual and foundation support, and government grants.
Another aspect of making ballet accessible to everyone, is FREE viewings of ballet performances at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Over the years up to 30,000 Buffalo Public School children have seen Neglia Ballet’s live professional performances, such as “Baba Yaga” on the historic Shea’s stage at no cost. For many, this is their first exposure to ballet and it inspires them to explore the arts and dance.