A FREE 5-week dance and choreography program:
All days run 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Inspiration Point
710 Tiffany Street
Hunts Point, New York, 10474
Monday
Wednesday
Monday
Wednesday
Monday
Wednesday
Monday
Wednesday
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
July 27
July 29
August 3
August 5
August 10
August 12
August 17
August 19
August 24
August 26
August 27 Rehearsal
August 28 Final Show
Program
A FREE summer dance program for children ages 8–12 who love to move, imagine, and create.
Students will explore ballet, learn new skills, make choreography together, and work with professional dancers in a fun and welcoming environment organized by Christopher Charles McDaniel and Steven Melendez, two of New York City’s leading dance artists, educators, and troublemakers.
No previous dance experience needed — just curiosity, energy, and a willingness to try something new.
The program ends with a final showing celebrating everything the students create together at Inspiration Point.
Each day begins with a ballet-based contemporary class to learn the basic skills of dance—from pliés at the barre to jumps across the floor. Through movement, music, and discipline, dancers build confidence, coordination, and artistry.
After a snack break, students enter the Choreography Lab, where they learn to make their own dances. Using the movement and techniques learned in class, students experiment, and develop original choreography throughout the program.
Each week, a special guest artist will introduce them to different aspects of creating performance: music, choreography, costume design, and stagecraft.
On the last day, students will present their original work at Inspiration Point for family, friends, and the community.
Inspiration Point(e): Technique to Creation is a Troublemaker: Public Works project in partnership with Inspiration Point and sponsored, in part, by Danse Mirage Foundation.
Click to Meet The Troublemakers
Christopher Charles McDaniel is an East Harlem–born ballet artist, educator, and choreographer whose work bridges classical ballet training with community-rooted arts education. A former principal artist with Dance Theatre of Harlem and former faculty member at School of American Ballet, he began dancing through Dance Theatre of Harlem’s outreach programs as a child before building an international performing and teaching career. His work as an educator centers access, representation, and technical rigor, drawing from his experiences teaching in schools, community programs, and professional training environments across the United States. Through mentorship, and collaborative creation, McDaniel encourages young dancers to see ballet as a space where their own identities, histories, and imaginations parallel the tradition of ballet that came before them.
Steven Melendez is a Bronx-born choreographer, filmmaker, and internationally acclaimed ballet dancer whose work centers the creative voices of young people. Formerly Artistic Director of New York Theatre Ballet and National Dance Institute New Mexico, he has led youth-centered dance programs across the United States and abroad, using classical ballet and film to highlight the perspectives of under-resourced children. His process prioritizes collaboration, inviting young dancers to shape narrative, movement, and meaning blending ballet technique with community-rooted storytelling. His projects blend identity, belonging, and the power of intergenerational dialogue, reflecting his belief that ballet grows stronger when it represents the imaginations of the children who inherit it. He is the subject of the Emmy-nominated documentary, LIFT. He continues to develop works that elevate youth voices within the ballet canon.