CityDance, Inc. Atlanta
Since 2005, our organization has offered training, workshops, financial assistance, and educational support to children and teens. We foster relationships between young people, their families, professional teaching artists, and our audiences to educate and inspire the metro-Atlanta community through dance and music.
History
CityDance, Inc. has a long-standing relationship with the Atlanta arts community.
Over the last 15 years, the organization has conducted a series of dance workshops and performances for the Fulton County School Arts Program. In 2005 and 2007, CityDance, Inc. presented MOVING FORWARD, a dance festival for Gulf Coast Relief, that according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution “unit[ed] the ATL’s most respected dance companies on the same stage for the first time”. The dance festival brought together 9 of the city’s distinguished dance companies and was acknowledged by the Creative Loafing Newspaper as Best of Atlanta 2006.
Through the years, our community dance company has been featured at the Partnership Walk Kick-off in Centennial Park, Sandy Springs Festival, Dogwood Festival, The Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Turner Field hosted by the Hosea Williams Foundation, Alliance Theatre, The Ferst Center, Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State.
In more recent years, programming has focused on providing training and assistance to young and developing artists who desire to pursue the arts as a profession. Participants have received training and professional development assistance and have performed as a part of the Fall for Fall Series, Elevate Atlanta, DanceFest Productions, DanceFX Athens Festival, and the Georgia Festival of Trees.
Our Mission
Founded in 2005, CityDance, Inc. is the non-profit arm of Atlanta Dance and Music Academy, dedicated to bringing arts to young people, their families, and their communities. Through education, financial assistance, and performance opportunities, CityDance, Inc. serves as a conduit of art and culture for the purpose of personal empowerment and community enrichment.
Training and Performance Guilds: ages 8 - 18
Our performance groups and training programs reflect our overall educational philosophy of holistic training in an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment. All programs are student-centered, focusing on both rigorous technical training, as well as social-emotional learning and social responsibility. We engage master teachers and teaching artists who are actively performing and instructing locally, regionally, and nationally. We provide information regarding health, nutrition, and professional development, as well as mentorship and support.
CityDance Ensemble - a ballet and contemporary training program for pre-teen and teen dancers ages 12-18.
Students train in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and tap at least 10 hours each week, minimally, with pre-professional students training at least 15 hours per week. Each Ensemble member has the option to concentrate on concert dance or to also participate in competitive dance as a soloist or member of a group.
Students, regardless of financial position, are encouraged to audition. All performances are for the benefit of the metro-Atlanta community and our extended networks throughout Georgia. Proceeds directly benefit local or regional not-for-profit organizations. Audition and/or Invitation required to join.
CityDance Apprentices - a program designed for dancers ages 11-16.
Students are accepted as trainees to join the Ensemble. These dancers focus on increased training and technical development in ballet, pointe, modern, and jazz. Members perform in the community by participating in local festivals and serve as apprentices to members of the Ensemble. Audition and/or Invitation required to join.
CityDance Juniors - an introductory training program for young dancers ages 7-11.
Students train on average 6 - 10 hours weekly in this ballet-based program, and are able to participate in local dance festivals and events, as well as compete locally. Audition and/or Invitation required to join.
CityDance, Inc. Audition & Pricing Information
Auditions occur annually three times to welcome new participants:
1. Spring: Ensemble and Apprentices (ages 12 - 17)
2. Summer: Ensemble, Apprentices, and Juniors (ages 8 - 17)
3. Fall: Juniors (ages 8-12)
Please click on the link below to sign-up for the appropriate audition.
Sliding Scale Pricing-
As the non-profit partner of Atlanta Dance and Music Academy (formerly Studio Dionne), CityDance, Inc. has supported numerous pre-professional dance scholars on their journeys to realizing their fullest potential. For committed students whose families would not be able to participate otherwise, our program can be accessed with reduced or free tuition, and will also include the cost of dancewear, as well as fees associated with performances, summer intensives, auditions, and high school-to-college transition costs. Must apply. Decisions are based on both merit and need. Pricing can be found HERE.
Training and Performance Guilds: adults
CityDance Artists' Development Program- a program that supports the development of burgeoning post-baccalaureate Atlanta-based artists interested in pursuing careers in dance education, dance performance, arts administration, or choreography. Artists are afforded free training classes and are paired with a mentor. All accepted artists serve as a part of the CItyDance Collective for the season of their award. Available for artists 19+.
All participants receive free training classes and a stipend. Interview and Invitation required for participation.
CityDanceCollective- a community-based ballet, jazz, and contemporary performance company designed for pre-professional and post-professional dancers who teach and perform for the benefit of the community. By audition or invitation.
The season spans from Feb 1st - December 31st annually, with annual auditions occurring the last week of January.
Impact
Since its inception, CityDance, Inc. has been a uniting force in metro Atlanta responding to the immediate needs of the community.
Pre-professional program participants supported by our initiatives have performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York City and toured Disney’s The Lion King. Through dedicated one-on-one coaching and advocacy, our students have been accepted to prestigious summer intensives, including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (Alabama and California), and the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program.
As proponents of dance as a tool for education, pre-professional program participants can also bost accepted and graduate from top-tier universities such as Georgia Tech, the University of Chicago, La Roche University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Georgia.
Partnerships
CityDance, Inc. consistently partners and performs with other community organizations. Most recently the Ensemble participated in ELEVATE, a public art program curated by the City of Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs. In the past, the organization has collaborated with the House of Artists, the Aga Khan Foundation Walk|Run Atlanta, the MLK Day Celebration with Hosea Feeds the Hungry and Homeless, Inc., the Dogwood Festival as well as the Inman Park Festival, Dance Canvas, and most recently Blaze Sports.
CityDance, Inc. also partners with the Dance Clinic - Grand Bahamas Islands as a part of an international exchange program designed to foster cross-cultural appreciation and knowledge through dance and music.
Successes
Students supported by our initiatives have performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York City, toured with Disney’s The Lion King and received full scholarships to respected university dance departments. Through dedicated one-on-one coaching and advocacy, our students have been accepted to the prestigious summer intensives, including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (Alabama and California), and the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program.
For Atlanta’s pre-professional dance artists, we offer work-study opportunities in arts administration to offset the cost of class. Please email info@citydanceatlanta.org.