National Dance Institute (NDI)

National Dance Institute

NDI teaching artists work with our 4th and 5th graders every week during the school year. The children put on mid-year and end-of-year performances. Each year, a different theme is chosen; in the past, themes have included “John Lennon,” “African Dance,” “Mexican Dance,” and “Mythology.” This year’s theme? The great Stevie Wonder, whose life provides the opportunity for deep lessons not only on making beautiful music, but also on disability, race, and the role of the artist in contemporary society.

The arts professionals from NDI include:
Teaching Artist & Choreographer, Bianca Johnson is a native New Yorker and began her early training at the Joffrey Ballet School. She has performed at the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden, and Lincoln Center, among others. Bianca attended LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and holds a BFA in dance from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Music Director Jerome “Jerry” Korman has a more than 20-year history with National Dance Institute that has taken him to prestigious venues across the world. He recently was composer and music supervisor for the documentary film, I-Deas produced by the Arthur Ashe Foundation, and is currently at work on a new children’s musical. A graduate of Columbia University, he is a Music Consultant to the New York City Department of Education. In that capacity he is currently designing and implementing staff development for music teachers for New York City Schools. Assistant Dance Teaching Artist Luis Trujillo hails from Los Angeles, CA, where he taught in an NDI affiliate program. He’s currently in New York training with NDI and at the Alvin Ailey School.