Dance Partners

The school day for 2,000 youngsters in New York City and Jersey City, N.J., includes lessons in counting out dance steps along with the usual arithmetic courses, thanks to the National Dance Institute.

Once a week, instructors for the New York non-profit group hold mandatory dance classes for boys and girls in fourth, fifth, or sixth grades at 20 schools. The aim of the classes is to teach children self-confidence while also reinforcing the view that the arts are as essential to a good education as are reading and mathematics.

Ultimately, says Ellen Weinstein, the institute’s artistic director, the goal is to encourage the next generation of dance lovers to support the arts. “We want the arts to become a part of these children’s lives.”

Jacques d’Amboise, a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, started the institute 22 years ago.

Today, with a budget of about $1.2-million, the institute uses professional dancers to train students during the school year. It also runs an intensive, month-long summer program for 100 children and offers advanced courses for the most-talented young dancers. And its work has inspired similar programs in such cities as Austin, Tex.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Washing ton.

Most of the institute’s money comes from private foundations and individual donors. Philip Morris Companies and the State of New York have also contributed to the organization.