Torren, an alum of our Step Ahead program for DC teens, shared how his experiences at JOMDC prepared him for college: “The Step Ahead program allowed me to further my social skills by interacting with people I didn’t know and to learn how to cope with other people’s ways of learning. I have carried this with me to college. Now making new friends and studying with a group is no problem.”

Because of the positive skills and behaviors built in dance class, we intentionally make dance education economically accessible in a number of ways, most notably through the six programs offered for free to children, teens, and seniors under the umbrella of Project Motion Community Outreach.

The reason we offer so many access points to dance education is because we have seen firsthand that dance has the power to transform a life. Dance students, whether they are 7 years old or 70 years old, build cognitive skills such as problem solving and creative thinking. They forge mentoring relationships with teachers and new friendships blossom among classmates. They feel successful in achieving new skills, have an outlet for their creativity, and express themselves through movement. Many adult students have commented how coming to dance class regularly has saved them thousands of dollars in therapy!

When JOMDC was founded in 1976, our mission deliberately defined a broad audience for us: Dance is for Everyone. Thus, we serve an audience as diverse as the population of DC region itself. We strive to reach people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, and economic means in order to fulfill our mission.

Today, tens of thousands of children and adults participate every year in dance classes, workshops, and performances at our Atlas, Friendship Heights, and Bethesda studio locations and throughout the DC area. We teach and encourage people of all ages to integrate dance into their lives for better individual and community well-being. For this, we have been honored with the DC Mayor’s Arts Awards for Excellence in Service to the Arts and for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts, and named “One of DC’s Best Small Charities” by the Catalogue for Philanthropy.

We serve the region’s population with a range of programming that reflects the area’s own cultural diversity. That means not only Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, and Modern, but Afro-Brazilian, Egyptian, Flamenco, Hand Dancing, and House. We try to offer as many different dance education and performance experiences as possible while maintaining the integrity of a rich educational experience. All our dance classes are informed by the teaching standards of the National Dance Education Organization.

Unique to dance among the arts is the physical activity component. As rates of obesity in children and adults steadily rise, experts are in agreement that physical activity is the most important factor for both prevention and treatment of the problem. Dance class offers fitness opportunities to students in the form of aerobic activity, strength conditioning, and flexibility.

Young people in particular who are actively engaged in quality after-school arts programs find a safe haven during those hours when most are unsupervised and vulnerable to drugs, alcohol, and crime. Research has shown that youth participating in after-school arts programs significantly decreased their frequency of delinquent behavior, increased their communication skills, and improved their ability to work on tasks from start to finish.

Thank you for supporting Joy of Motion Dance Center on Give to the Max Day! Your contribution makes an even bigger impact by helping us compete for more than $100,000 in prizes.

On Give to the Max Day, please consider giving to like-minded nonprofits doing important work in our community. Our participating Resident Arts Partners include Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co. Groovy dance centers include Joe's Movement Emporium and Dance Place. And don't forget the Atlas Performing Arts Center, where we're an arts partner, alongside Step Afrika!, Capital City Symphony, and City at Peace. Please spread the love to other arts groups on this day of giving!