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Community Programs

Two PMI students working with an instructor

Parkinson’s Programs

Offering weekly, cost-free movement classes to the PD community and their caregivers. 

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Kids holding hands and dancing in a circle

ADF Project Dance

Project Dance is an outreach program designed to expose the Triangle community to dance.

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A large outdoor amphitheater at night

Experience Dance

ADF distributes complimentary performance tickets to nonprofit organizations.

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ADF Project Dance

Developed in 1998 in collaboration with the Durham Parks and Recreation Department, ADF Project Dance is an outreach program designed to expose the Triangle community to dance. Over the years, ADF Project Dance has worked with community partners such as libraries, public school systems, senior centers, children’s museums, Duke Hospital, community centers, as well as the Durham Parks and Recreation Department. ADF Project Dance provides master classes with professional teaching artists and guest performers as well as opportunities to attend live dress rehearsals and performances.

Valuing the importance of community and education, ADF continues to dedicate time and resources to providing youth the opportunity to explore their full potential through dance. By 2020, ADF’s outreach initiatives included in-school, after-school activities, and workshops throughout the school year and summer.  These programs encouraged nearly 6,000 youth to take advantage of the many lifelong benefits a dance education has to offer.

ADF Project Dance is made possible with major support from the SHS Foundation. Additional support provided by Susan and Michael Hershfield, The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts, and Central Park School for Children.

2023 ADF Project Dance

We want to work with you and create a program in your school/organization.  In our school programs, teaching artists lead 45-minute to 1-hour classes in school and/or after school.  And we have dance workshops for the whole family!

For more information about ADF Project Dance, please contact Jennifer Scully-Thurston, jscullythurston@americandancefestival.org

Project Dance at Central Park School For Children

Each January, ADF begins its annual partnership with Central Park School for Children (CPSC) to offer creative movement as an alternative to more traditional physical education classes. Gaspard Louis, Director of ADF Project Dance, leads these classes. In September 2014, students from CPSC performed Dance x 19 as a part of the Gaspard&Dancers annual concert at Duke University’s Reynolds Industries Theater.

Photos of CPSC students working with Gaspard&Dancers (Satsuki Scoville Photography)

Outdoor stage with a large audience at night

Experience Dance

In an effort to make the performing arts accessible to as many groups as possible, ADF distributes complimentary performance tickets to nonprofit organizations that work with individuals, families, youth, and seniors in need who otherwise could not attend performances. We will review applications from local nonprofit organizations and determine how Experience Dance tickets will be distributed.

Interested nonprofit organizations, as well as businesses and individuals who would like to help fund the Experience Dance program, are encouraged to contact Becca Gargiulo at becca@americandancefestival.org or (919) 684-6402 for more information.

Applications for Experience Dance 2024 will be available in March.

Experience Dance is made possible with support from Duke Energy, Trinity Avenue Presbyterian Church,
and Pamela and Isaac Green.