New York Live Arts To Present Ellen Robbins’ DANCES BY VERY YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHERS

New York Live Arts will present Dances by Very Young Choreographers, a long-running program led by dance educator Ellen Robbins, featuring original solo works created and performed by 19 young dancemakers ages 8 to 18. Performances will take place at New York Live Arts, located at 219 West 19th Street in Manhattan, on Saturday, January 24 at 2:00 p.m., with an alumni concert the same day at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, January 25 at 2:00 p.m., 2026.

For more than 30 years, Dances by Very Young Choreographers has introduced children to the process of making dance, empowering them to develop and present their own creative work. The program offers audiences a range of styles and approaches, including humorous, narrative, minimal, lyrical, and visually conceptual dances. Music selections are chosen by the young choreographers and span classical, folk, jazz, pop, and spoken word.

In addition to the performances, young audience members are invited onstage for a brief, structured improvisation, offering an interactive introduction to dance-making. The January 24 evening performance will feature works by alumni of the program, including Lily Akerman, Marina Chan, Chanda Cragnotti, Morgan Cragnotti, Grace Cooper, Maia Sage Ermansons, Krista Jansen, Isha Racho, Amelia Dawe Sanders, Alexandra Schully, and Lou Sydel. The alumni concert is the only performance open for review.

Tickets start at $10 for matinees and $20 for the alumni concert and are available through NewYorkLiveArts.org or by calling 212-924-0077. 

Ellen Robbins has taught dance to children in New York City for decades and served as resident dance educator at Dance Theater Workshop for 34 years. Her honors include a 1986 Bessie Award and the 1993 Arts in Education Round Table Award. Her work with young dancers has been presented nationally, including a 2001 presentation of Dances by Very Young Choreographers at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.