The Ailey Extension Offers Its First Ever Ballet 4 Kids Summer Program to Children Ages 10-11

This summer, Ailey Extension will host its first ever Ballet 4 Kids summer program at the Ailey Studios in Midtown. Children ages 10-11 are invited to participate in weekly classes led by professional dancer and instructor Alison Mixon from July 8-29. No prior experience is required to participate.

Held at the Ailey Studios, Ballet 4 Kids is a foundational course aimed to introduce students to the basic movements, techniques, posture, and terminology of classical ballet. It will also focus on building confidence and self-esteem, characteristic essential to both dance and life outside it.

“Ballet 4 Kids is a way for children to be introduced to dance,” says Jordan James, the marketing director for Ailey Extension. “Kids come together to explore dance and have fun.”

Ballet 4 Kids will take place at 10am on Sundays. Classes will be led by Mixon, a graduate of The Julliard School. Mixon has appeared in more than 12 dance, musical theater, and opera productions across the country and has worked extensively with young dancers in a number of teaching positions, including at The Ailey School’s Junior Division and Broadway Dance Center’s Children & Teen Program. 

Students have the option to drop in individual classes at a rate of $34 a class, or enroll in the full four-week session for a rate of $130. To enroll in the session, sign up directly on the website or stop by the Extension office located on the first floor of the Ailey Studios on West 55th Street. 

As the outreach division of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Ailey Extension runs on the premise that, as Mr. Ailey himself said, dance came from the people and should be given back to the people. It offers to the public a variety of dance and fitness classes, including salsa, ballet, hip-hop, zumba, and West African dance. Classes are held almost daily, and participants are free to drop-in at the Ailey Studios or sign up online. For the full schedule of classes, please visit the Ailey Extension website.  

The Ailey Studios are located in 405 W. 55th St., New York, NY. For more information regarding Ballet 4 Kids, contact Stacey Spencer-Willoughby at [email protected].

Image: Ballet 4 Kids is a way for children to be introduced to dance, according to Jordan James, marketing director for Ailey Extension.

Courtesy The Ailey Extension