The Dance of Life

For students at AileyCamp, learning how to dance is but one goal. The free six-week day camp, which is operated by the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Company of New York, gives disadvantaged children ages 11 to 14 the opportunity to learn self-discipline and build their self-esteem by immersing themselves in the arts.

“We’re trying to lay the foundation for these young people as they go on in their lives, particularly as they approach high school,” says Sharon Williams, national director of AileyCamp.

By teaching discipline through dance movements and other art forms, the camp hopes the children will learn to apply those skills to other areas of their lives.

Besides taking classes in dance, campers also learn creative writing — they keep journals, write poems, and then compile their work into an anthology — and dabble in such projects as mask making and photography.

They also tackle “personal development” issues they may be dealing with in their own lives, from adolescent pregnancy to violence.

The arts classes are taught by former dance-company members, while social workers teach the social-skills segment.

AileyCamp, which costs about $150,000 a year to run, was begun in Kansas City, Mo., in 1989. A local group of supporters of the dance company, called the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, thought “it would be wonderful to see kids spend the summer dancing,” says Ms. Williams. The group recruited children from the city’s public schools to participate.

A New York camp, which operates in partnership with the Children’s Aid Society, was started in 1991. Last summer the program expanded to Philadelphia. Each camp has 60 to 80 participants, and there are plans to continue to expand the program, Ms. Williams says. Chicago is the next destination.