Home Teen Company.
May 19
Sunday

About the ICY

The Inner City Youth Junior Dance Company offers a unique opportunity for economically disadvantaged or at-risk special needs youth of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The ICY give children from ages 10 to18 the opportunity to train for potential careers in dance, theatre and other performing arts related   careers. Teens are trained in tap, ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, gymnastics, hip hop, and ethnic dances such as Latin ballroom and Middle Eastern belly dancing. Teens get the opportunity to perform along with The Kennedy Dancers Professional Company during the spring and they receive television/ broadcast exposure through our cable television show “Dance Vista”.
The goal of the ICY is to train and assist these teens. We hope to make a difference in their communication, expressive behavior, socialization, and life skills. Following these improvements, an excelling in academics is also expected to occur. The students will be more disciplined in their approach to everyday life whether it is academically or artistically.
Inner City Youth Training PDF  | Print |  E-mail

INNER CITY YOUTH JR.DANCE CO/JUVENILE DETENTION PROJECT

A unique opportunity to economically disadvantage and at-risk ICY youth of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds ages 10 to18 to train for potential careers in dance, theatre and related support jobs.  Teens are trained in tap, ballet, Pointe, jazz, modern, gymnastics, hip hop, and ethnic dancers such as African and Middle Eastern Belly Dancing.  Teens get the opportunity twice a year to perform along with The Kennedy Dancers Professional Company.  They also get television/broadcast exposure through our cable television show "Dance Vista".

• Ballet
• Jazz
• Tap Dance
• Modern
• Hip Hop
• Salsa
• African
• Gymnastics
• Middle Eastern

The program is project based and will immediately begin to work and train the kids towards a performance utilizing improvisational and creative movement techniques as well as the more traditional classes cited above.


Transportation is NOT available. However, we will have a transportation monitor who will assist students in the aspects of taking mass transit to and from the Kennedy Dancers Repertory Center.


The following are some means of mass transit that students can take to get to our studio:
1.) PATH trains to Journal Square
2.) NJ Transit 87 Hoboken- Jou 4.) NJ Transit 86 Palisade Ave. Journal Sq. Bus.
3.) 99 Blvd Bus
5.) Light Rail


Goal of our program is to train and assist these teens; we expect many of our graduates to pursue further education in dance, theatre and performing arts support vocations.  We hope we make a difference in their communication, expressive behavior, and socialization and life skills. Following these improvements an increase of academics is also expected to occur.  The students will be more disciplined in their approach to everyday life whether it is academically or personally.  If they do not enter a performing arts profession, they will at least have the skills of working collectively, problem solving and maintain physical fitness.
Some success stories include:


Tina B. was in the program for 4 years she graduated in 2001 and is a full time scholarship student in the dance department of Montclair University.


Miguel B. joined the program after completing high school.  He graduated from the program and went on to dance and sing in Off-Broadway productions in NYC and the national tour for Chorus Line.  Miguel has most recently become dance captain and understudy for five roles in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady.


Crystal S. joined the program at age of 14.  She has DownÕs syndrome and is classified as trainable mentally retarded.  When she started the program, Crystal could not count to ten.  Now three years later, she can count and remember all her choreography.  Participating in the program has helped Crystal to remember daily tasks and better manage her life. 


Alex P. joined the program at age 14.  He was classified perceptually impaired by the Child Study Team. He went on to attend Rutgers University as performing arts major.  After receiving his degree, he became a member of the teaching staff at Hudson County School of Technology.

The Inner City Youth Jr. / Juvenile Detention Program

The ICY program provides free dance training for economically disadvantaged youth from ages 10 to 17 in the Jersey City area. Young people, (those at risk with drugs, alcohol, early pregnancy and gangs and many with special problems such as learning disabilities, neurologically or perceptually impaired, emotionally or developmentally challenged) are given special training to enter the professional dance/performance world. We offer adverse dance curriculum in all types of dance education including required training in Ballet, Modern, Tap, Theatrical Jazz, Ethnic, Ballroom, Hip-Hop and Gymnastics from beginners to advanced levels, as well as repertory rehearsals and performances series. The ICY students also work and perform with professional dancers from our organization. The training will not only create professional dancers, it will also prepare our students for performance related positions such as stage management, lighting, sound, TV production, and costume/scenic design.

The Program is aimed at providing an enriching experience that will assist the student as he/she grows physically, mentally, and emotionally; this is of particular importance to our ICY population. Armed with a personal sense of accomplishment/self–assurance, the student is better able to cope with the challenges of school and home. Equipped with a new self-confidence and means of expression, learning disabilities become less of a barrier for the participant. Emotional disabilities become more controllable as discipline is learned and physical energy is positively channeled.

Part of the ICY program is our dance classes at the Juvenile Detention Center in Secaucus, NJ. We have been teaching at the detention center since 2004, and find it to be very successful and fulfilling. We hope that the detainees will find a hidden talent or interest in the performing arts enough to give them a sense of creativity, physical fitness and a lifelong love for dance, something that is much more positive than their pre-prison activities. We encourage them to consider joining our Inner City Youth Junior Dance Company at our repertory center. Last year, we went to the prison for two hours weekly. This year we are expanding our Juvenile Detention Center Program. We will now be there twice a week for an hour and a half each day. This year we will not only be teaching hip-hop but also African and Latin classes. The detainees will be preparing for an actual performance incorporating both spoken work, theater and dance. The residents of the Juvenile Detention Center will be performing in the spring with both the Kennedy Dancers Professional Company and The Inner City Youth Jr. Dance Company.

County Child Study Teams, DYFS workers, school officials and Law enforcement workers, may refer candidate’s referrals to this program. Refer these children to our program at The Kennedy Dancers Repertory Center, 79 Central Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07306. Call for information 201-659-2190. Transportation is not available. The following are some means of mass transit that students can take to get to our studio. Path Train to Journal Square, NJ Transit 87 Hoboken-Journal Sq. Bus, NJ Transit 86 on Palisade Avenue, NJ Transit 83 on Summit Avenue, and Kennedy Blvd vans or NJ Transit 88 or light rail.


To become a member of the Inner City Youth Jr. Dance Company is through audition process.  This process is held in September of each year. 2008/2009 auditions will be held on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 4:00pm sharp.  Please call if you are attending. 


Teachers, Child Study Team Members, Police Officers.
Please refer these kids to our program at
THE KENNEDY DANCERS REPERTORY CENTER
79 CENTRAL AVE.
JERSEY CITY, NJ 07306For more info call us at:
201-659-2190

FUNDING FOR THE KENNEDY DANCERS PROGRAMS

Funding has been made possible in part by a block grant from the NJ State Council on the Arts State/County Partnership Program for the arts administered by the Hudson County Division of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Tom De Gise, County Executive and the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Bank of America, The Anne Earle Talcott Fund, PSE&G Foundation, The Scarmolin Trust, Turrell Fund, Puffin Foundation, JC Community Development Block Grant, Hudson County Department of Health and Human Services/ Youth Services Commission/Juvenile Crime Enforcement       Coalition, Pronti Construction Co. Inc., New Jersey Meadowlands Commission, Independence Bank Foundation, Provident Bank Foundation, Metrovest-Equities, Bevan Manufacturing Corp. (Costume Gallery), Back Bay Dancewear, Inc., New Jersey Dept. of Treasury, City of Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs, Freeds of London, Moret Group and Hudson City Savings Bank
Last Updated on Saturday, 28 November 2009 15:25
 

KD Jr. Company pics

Home Teen Company.