Ensuring that youth from all backgrounds experience the benefits of the performing arts, DIW offers high-quality dance instruction to more than 1,000 students each year. And its commitment to racial and economic equity infuses everything it does. At the School of Dance and at partner locations, students ages 2 to 22 receive pre-professional training in classical ballet and diverse dance disciplines, coupled with dance health, nutrition, academic enrichment, life skills, mentoring, and workforce development. This equity-based, holistic approach prepares students to pursue professional dance careers — with impressive results. 95% of graduates complete high school, with many moving on to excellent universities and professional dance companies. The Fabian Barnes Black Box Theater, named for DIW's founder, opens new possibilities for audience engagement, with masterclasses, performances by students, professional dancers, and featured artists that reach 6,000+ diverse audience members a year.
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