92 St Y Harkness Dance Center

The Harkness Dance Center is the dance arm of the Gilda and Henry Block School of the Arts at 92NY, the 92nd Street Y at 1395 Lexington Avenue in New York City. Founded in May 1935 with Doris Humphrey as its first director, it was built around the idea that art promotes self-expression, creativity and social engagement, and its early faculty included Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Hanya Holm and Anna Sokolow, who taught modern dance technique to non-professionals as well as performing. Over more than 90 years, artists including Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey created and premiered work on its stage. Now housed in the Arnhold Center, it runs the School of Dance for students of all ages, with children's classes, adult classes for beginners through experienced movers in ballet, modern, tap, jazz, social and world dance, and professional and junior trainee programs. It also presents the Harkness Mainstage performance season and Future Dance Festival, hosts artists in residence, and runs the Dance Education Laboratory and a dance movement therapy program. Scholarships are available.