BABEL Mentorship Program

ABOUT

The BABEL Mentorship Program is focused on cultivating the social, emotional, and artistic growth of BIPOC dancers, ages 12-18, in Upper Manhattan. This free, intimate program selects seven talented dancers from low-income homes to work together as a cohort and receive private classes so students and their artistry receive the attention they deserve. Alongside the traditional technical training, we teach improvisation and choreographic methods that maintain and nurture student’s cultural backgrounds and unique voices which are often not taken into consideration in other programs and training.

The goal of the BABEL Mentorship Program is to frame contemporary dance as an approach to storytelling and ask, “how can you share a story through movement?” While “contemporary” is an expansive term, our curriculum centers contemporary-modern dance with an emphasis on modern, ballet, and floorwork techniques. Alongside the traditional technical training, we teach improvisation and choreographic methods that maintain and nurture student’s cultural backgrounds and unique voices which are often not taken into consideration in other programs and training.

In addition to teaching movement, choreography, and performance techniques, we use contemporary dance to mentor low-income students in self-awareness, esteem, and empowerment, building well-rounded dancers who are confident in themselves and their artistry. Emphasizing dance as a tool for advocacy, community building, and storytelling invites young dancers to form their own artistic voice and fosters a new generation of self-aware artists and trailblazers with a heart for transformative societal impact.