NDI New Mexico

This is a great place for young people to fall in love with dance. They are afford the opportunity for many to learn and enjoy dance. The staff is great and location is awesome.

My kids have taken all kinds of lessons: flamenco, piano, violin, hip hop, voice, tennis, baking. To state the obvious: recitals, man, they're the worst. Because they're so socialist. You have to pretend to be impressed with all the kids, not just your own -- whom you're probably not impressed with, anyway, though you'd never say such things aloud. You have to sit there, waiting for your kid to have his or her two minutes of fame during a two hour recital by a bunch of amateurs. No thanks. Two hours I'll never get back.On my long list of accolades for NDI, and the list is indeed long, recitals get top billing. My kid had a ballet recital in this place last December that was A) somewhat choreographed, B) somewhat amusing and C) over in one hour. Thank you, NDI, for giving me part of my life back. Thank you for serving a seriously underserved population, too. I've met tremendous parents in the waiting areas of the halls of NDI, people who've struggled to find strong programs for their children, to keep them safe and engaged. NDI does just this, serving populations all over the state, fueled by grants, commissions, private donations and professionals who know what they're doing. Speaking of professionals, my daughter's current ballet instructor spent a lifetime in Chicago as a professional dancer and choreographer, she has a natural aptitude for working with children, and she has a unique gift you can't teach: she's funny. Iris really loves her ballet class because her teacher makes her laugh, often. And Iris is doing a pretty good job in there. Disciplines like ballet teach concentration, coordination, and an appreciation for sore toes. Might as well laugh about it, too.

The National Dance Institute of New Mexico (also known as NDI New Mexico, NDI-NM, or NDI) is also listed on yelp as "Hiland Theater NDI." That is because the NDI in Albuquerque is at the Hiland Theater. Around these parts if you hear "NDI" most often locals are referring to the NDI New Mexico. With that being said, I have already written a review for NDI-NM under the other "Hiland Theater NDI" name because originally someone built it in yelp as such. Later someone else wrote a review of NDI as "National Dance Institute."NDI was formally established in New York City in 1976 by Jacques d'Amboise, and the National Dance Institute is still going strong by currently serving close to 5,000 children each week in grades Kindergarten through 6th in 31 partner schools in the New York City metro area. The National Dance Institute has successfully seeded programs both nationally and abroad. There are currently 11 NDI associate programs thriving in the United States. NDI-NM is one of them. Read more about the first NDI by visiting their website [ http://www.nationaldance.org/about_NDI.htm ]. I agree with the website that NDI is "exuberant and intellectually engaging." The program does encourage education and excellence. Surprisingly some of the NDI programs are free for students. Yes, free. Isn't that amazing? The free-for-students programs include the "In-school program" as well as participating in the SWAT or Celebration Teams. Funding to pay for these programs comes from generous anonymous donors, individual supporters, family gifts, Parent-Teacher Associations fundraisers, NDI fundraisers, or successful business donations. Furthermore, volunteers contribute their valuable time to help make NDI a success. Thanks to giving people the students do not pay a dime, and this is great for low income families that otherwise cannot afford dance classes. Thank you to all of you who donate, for you make wonderful programs like this available to everyone who wishes to participate. At NDI-NM the In-school programs plus being part of the SWAT or Celebration Teams are free for students. Again, thanks to the New Mexican community for the continued support. If a student does have to pay out of pocket [like for the summer programs or extracurricular dance classes], then NDI-NM will work with the students on a sliding fee scale. It is thoughtful -- especially when your student loves everything about NDI-NM like the fellow students, teachers, staff, building, and class variety. Every NDI-NM student is expected to work hard, try their best, never give up, and be fit. The students, their family, and the communities speak highly of NDI-NM. As a parent, I absolutely love NDI-NM because they are part of the greater New Mexican community that helps to raise children with high ethics. Are you still not convinced? Maybe this may help -- NDI-NM was named one of the top arts organizations in United States by the Wallace Foundation. Visiting the following two websites provides more details: * http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1672972 * http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/arts-education/Community-Approaches-to-Building-Arts-Education/Documents/Something-to-Say-Success-Principles-for-Afterschool-Arts-Programs.pdfLearn more about NDI-NM by going to their website [ http://www.ndi-nm.org ]. If you or your child ever have the chance to take classes, the classes will be enjoyed. If you ever get a chance to attend the end of the school year performance, please do so to witness how much these kids have learned in one school year. The reward is the energy and positivity that you may be inspired by.

NDI is absolutely amazing. What they offer kids in the form of a dance class/training, especially those who may not have otherwise been able to experience, is top shelf. I came here for a 2 week Teaching Artist Training Intensive for the NDI dance techniques and was simply amazed at the level of professionalism, detail and intensity of this training program. When they say "intensive" they mean INTENSIVE. The quality of this program shows through with the level of expectation and precision they place on the teacher trainees. I came away exhausted (in a good way) but full of knowledge and useful techniques to take into my teaching work. I am grateful to the wonderful NDI staff for their support during this experience. Bravo! Brava! Bravi!

My daughter has taken classes at NDI since she was 4 years old. She's now 9 years old and she's progressed amazingly. She's confident and loves coming to dance classes at NDI. It's very affordable and accessible to all families. There's a great since of community. All the staff and faculty are very personable, helpful and very friendly. It's like a big family. Please consider joining our community.

This place rocks! And the staff is truly top notch! My daughter has taken ballet, tap, voice, and hip hop classes here and has loved each one! The performances that the kids prepare for are fantastic; my daughter has truly benefited from the experiences gained through NDI!

I had the chance to come and see a bunch of cute kids perform at the NDI. This is a really great program/institute to get kids dancing. My little sister was in a huge dance performance with about 1000 other kids. It was amazing to see all these kids working together. I totally take off the proverbial hate the the coordinators and teachers that work with this program. It's located in the old Highland Theater, and they have done an amazing job of renovating and repurposing the space. If you have kids and want to get them involved in something cool, check it out. http://www.ndi-nm.org/content/hiland_theater

Both of my granddaughters, ages 8 and 5, attend NDI classess. They absolutely love it and can't wait to go back every week. The instructors are very professional but also a lot of fun for the children. I highly recommend it.

My 3-year-old daughter has taken 2 dance classes, this one is her 2nd. So far I think the teacher she has is great! She is very patient yet motivating and keeps the classes fun for the littles. The atmosphere is gorgeous in this newly renovated historic building. The best part is that they charge based on a sliding pay scale - giving low income children the opportunity to take dance lessons. They have a wide variety of classes and schedules for all ages, including adults who are interested in keeping in shape.

Best school ever! My daughter has been at NDI for 4 years and has fallen in love with everything this school has to offer from the teachers and the staff to the facilities and their programs. Very good pricing for the quality of the classes. My daughter started out with a couple of classes and now she goes all week from Monday through Saturday. She would live there if she could. Over all wonderful school. It has exceeded my expectations I give it a up.