A Message from Executive Director, Nancy Kleaver

Dear Dancing Classrooms Community,

With a full heart, I am writing to share that I will be moving on from my role as the Executive Director of Dancing Classrooms at the end of September, 2024 and supporting the organization as a consultant through the end of the year.

Reflecting on the past nearly five years, I am filled with pride and gratitude for our journey together. We have navigated unthinkable changes and challenges as an arts organization and emerged even more responsive to the communities we serve in our city and across the nation. Dancing Classrooms remains the largest provider of dance education to NYC Public Schools. We have expanded our program offerings to include younger children, more Students With Disabilities, and new forms of social dance from around the globe. We have welcomed a new and diverse generation of board directors and made strides to ensure that our curricula are gender-inclusive and culturally responsive. None of this would have been possible without our incredible staff, Teaching Artists, Board, partners, and supporters like you, whom I have had the privilege to collaborate with daily. Now is the right time for new leadership to move the work forward.

I am excited to announce that our excellent Deputy Director, Eve Wolff, will be stepping into the role of Acting Executive Director upon my departure. Eve, who joined Dancing Classrooms only a couple of months after me, is deeply knowledgeable about our work and the arts education field and a resourceful and confident nonprofit leader. I have no doubt that she will guide the team with the same dedication and intelligence that we have seen from her throughout her tenure. Please join me in congratulating Eve and supporting her in the months ahead as she takes on this new position. (Learn more about Eve!)

One of my initial motivations for joining Dancing Classrooms (DC) was to get closer to the joy and connection I observed in their student dancers during my years working as an arts education professional in NYC. I had only one semester with DC under my belt before the pandemic interrupted that, but only briefly. I was amazed to see how resilient and uplifting the art of social dancing remained, even when we could not touch. The faces of young people and their families would light up as our Teaching Artists zoomed into their homes, a testament to the unique power of the Dancing Classrooms model. An unexpected reward of my time here has been getting to know our programs’ alumni, who have transferred the skills they developed as young social dancers into their lives as collaborative leaders, innovative artists, and engaged citizens. I look forward to continuing to support and celebrate their journeys as they flourish in their professional and creative pursuits.

As I step away, I carry with me the profound joy and connection that first drew me to this organization. I look forward to returning to my consulting practice, where I will bring the energy and insights I have gained here to continue supporting the arts and culture sector and working to improve the lives of NYC children. No matter where I go, I will be a fierce advocate for our vision of a world that values social dance as foundational to every child’s well-being and joy and to celebrate the beauty of diversity and our shared humanity through my own creative practice.

Thank you for your trust, generosity, and belief in the power of dance to transform lives. Dancing Classrooms will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I am excited to see what the future holds for this extraordinary organization.

With deep gratitude,