K-12 Dance Residency Program
K-12 Dance Residency Program
An initiative with the City of Minneapolis, funded through the Affordable Cultural Access (ACA) 2025–2026 Bridge Fund for Dance, promises equitable arts access by implementing dance education at all Minneapolis Public Schools and recreation centers, an effort to ensure that every child, regardless of socioeconomic background, can experience the transformative power of dance.
This new partnership is providing dance education at every Minneapolis Public Schools elementary school and additional opportunities for tailored residencies at K-12 sites. The city has approved $350,000 per year in order to support Minneapolis Public Schools dance program expansion.
Amid other budget cuts, new partnership keeps Minneapolis kids dancing at school – Star Tribune
City of Minneapolis investing in dance education – Channel 5
New partnership to bring dance to nearly 30,000 Minneapolis students – Bring me the News, Yahoo!
City partnership expands dance education at Minneapolis Public Schools - MPR
Minneapolis to bring dance programs to every public school, rec center – MPR, Mankato Free Press
Minneapolis to invest in Arts Education in MPS – WCCO radio, MSN news, link no longer works
MPS Dance Press Conference - iDream.TV
Since 1987, Young Dance has encouraged youth in our community to build body and spirit through the art of dance. Our mission is to transform lives through movement. We are an inclusive community where creativity flourishes, encouraging personal and artistic excellence through diverse forms of dance.
Young Dance encourages peer-to-peer mentorship and collaboration in the making of dances. Through our engagement of youth of all abilities, body types, and economic, social and cultural backgrounds, we provide an environment in which diversity is authentically embraced and celebrated. The young people with whom we work become leaders in their schools, which prepare them for leadership roles – both formal and informal – in their communities. By working with professional, highly accomplished artists, Young Dance dancers develop a keen understanding of the art form, the complexity of creating a production, and the power of the pursuit of excellence.