National Dance Institute Will Host 'Music In The Air: A Celebration of Rock'
The event runs June 14-16.
By: Stephi Wild Jun. 04, 2025
As National Dance Institute (NDI) prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary later this fall, the renowned dance education organization will present its 2025 Event of the Year at NYU Skirball in June, a beloved and frequently sold-out annual tradition on one of the city’s most exciting stages.
This year’s production will run multiple performances from June 14 - 16 and features nearly 200 talented children from New York City schools who will bring legendary rock songs to life through electrifying original choreography set to live music.
During their dynamic performances at the 850-seat theater in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, NDI’s young dancers trace the origins of early Rock ‘n’ Roll through the genre’s endless iterations and rebirths, celebrating the richness and dynamism of a musical genre that has defined American music for the greater part of a century.
Directed by Elizabeth Sellner, Music In The Air: A Celebration of Rock will feature a new work by NDI’s Helen Stambler Neuberger Artist-in-Residence Troy Anthony, along with original works created by NDI’s team of choreographers, musicians, and designers. The student dancers will perform to live music by an energetic nine-person band featuring rock hits like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” The Strokes’ “Reptilia,” and Paramore’s ”Still Into You,” along with a number of outstanding rock medleys.
"The raw vocals and energetic instrumentals of rock music are resonating with our dancers and inspiring them to dig deeper and dance harder,” says Kay Gayner, Artistic Director at National Dance Institute. “Their commitment is thrilling! This is going to be a joyful and very expressive show, and we invite audiences to come rock out with us!"
When NDI hosted its first annual NDI Event of the Year, “Dance on a May Day,” in 1977 at the New York State Theater, 30 young boys participated. For nearly 50 years, NDI has hosted an annual Event of the Year to celebrate the culmination of the school year, each following a different theme. Past themes included A Celtic Tale (1987), 20th Century American Song: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (2000), Volando a México (2008), and Under One Sky: NDI Dances China (2014), which included young dancers from Shanghai, China. Every year, more than 6,500 children in NDI’s In-School Program perform vibrant, original choreography on the theme for their communities. From this incredible group, 200 talented dancers are selected for a deeper experience—taking the stage at NYU Skirball to bring that theme to life in a spectacular performance.
“Jacques d'Amboise founded National Dance Institute in 1976 with the vision of creating a program that brings dance to all children, and I know he would be so proud of this production and these young people,” says Jermaine Jones, Executive Director at National Dance Institute. “In fact, all New Yorkers should be proud—these are our city’s kids! Prepare to be blown away by their talent, hard work, and their care for one another that shines through in their performance. We are especially proud to showcase our scholarship program dancers, aged 4-14 who participate in NDI’s SWAT Team (Scholarship for the Willing, Achieving and Talented), Celebration Team, DREAM Project, and First Team. Come see what they can do.”
The NDI DREAM Project (Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement) is an inclusive dance program that provides children with and without disabilities the opportunity to perform. In this unique program, children with a wide range of disabilities and a group of age-matched, non-disabled peers from NDI’s Advanced Teams become partners, dancing and performing together with the goals of maximizing participation and challenging every dancer to achieve their best through teamwork, creativity, empathy, and discovery.
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