Dance Project of Washington Heights

Dance Project of Washington Heights offers an Infant Movement class along with classes in ballet, tap, jazz, Afro-Pop Dance, Break Dance, Hula, Latin dance, Musical Theater Dance, salsa, bachata, merengue, hip hop, and breakdance. The program includes bilingual classes in salsa, bachata, merengue, and more, and uses child-centered teaching and positive classroom management in neuro-diverse classrooms with an emphasis on inclusion. The organization focuses on breaking down gender expectations and representation in dance while developing confident, expressive youth and teaching the roots of hip hop culture and street styles.

• Ages: 0–18 years old

Dance Project of Washington Heights is a nonprofit dance organization whose mission is to remove barriers to dance education and to build community through dance. It currently serves over 700 students of different ages, backgrounds, cultures, and socio-economic statuses, with 55% of students identified as low-income by NYC standards and at least 36% considered extremely low-income. Among its students, 65% identify as Latinx, 45% identify as Black, and 104 current students are boys. Within the ballet program, 65 students have advanced to level 2 and 31 students are enrolled in ballet level 3, while 143 students take 2 classes per week, 35 are enrolled in 3 classes per week, and 10 students take 4 different classes per week. The faculty is hired for a high level of training, passion for children and social justice, and diversity that reflects the community, and the program emphasizes social justice, including #blacklivesmatter, #nokidsincages, and #abolishice. A community of volunteers and families contributes to creating leaders, teachers, and creators.

The leadership team includes Co-Founder and Executive Director Heather Godfrey, General Manager (Jazz) Amina Vargas, Director Rodney Hamilton, and Director Faith Williams. Heather Godfrey has been teaching dance and working with children for over 20 years. Amina Vargas is a professional dancer, commercial model, and arts administrator who graduated in 2021 from The Ailey School, where she trained in the Scholarship and Ailey/Fordham BFA program. Rodney Hamilton graduated with a BFA in Dance from the Juilliard School and joined Ballet Hispánico of New York, where he was a principal dancer and assistant rehearsal director for 10 years. Faith Williams served on the Board of Friends of P.S. 187 for three years, headed the Food & Beverage sub-committee, and attended Fresno State University.

The teaching staff includes artists with a wide range of professional and educational experience. Max Pollak appears on a U.S. Postage stamp, is a Bessie Award nominee (2011), was a 2010 Individual Artist Grantee of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and was a 2008 fellow in Choreography from the New York Foundation of the Arts. Amanda Castro is a Bessie award winning Puerto Rican-American multidisciplinary artist rooted in rhythm, was recently featured in Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch, and is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts. Evabustamove, also known as EvaB Oricci, is a Guatemalan NYC-based creative artist and a 2023 Bessie award recipient for choreography under Les Ballet Afrik. Sylvestre K. Akakpo Adzaku is a New York-based choreographer, performer, and teacher originally from Togo, West Africa, and has presented his own works and performed locally and internationally for over 15 years. Lili Tewes is originally from Hamburg, Germany, graduated from the Martha Graham School, and from the age of ten studied Hula under Kumu Hula Kalei'ulaokala Makekau, later joining her company in Hawai'i and touring Europe and the USA. Valentina Fory Olaya is a Colombian dancer and graduate of Incolballet. Andres is a professional Latin dancer and choreographer who specializes in Afro Cuban and Latin dance and is also classically trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz. Josh Walden has appeared in Broadway revivals of 42nd Street, La Cage aux Folles, A Chorus Line, and Ragtime, Off-Broadway productions of Cagney, Seussical, and The Awesome 80’s Prom, and has taught dance at New York University, Molloy College, Dance Project of Washington Heights, and the Eglevsky Ballet.

Dance Project of Washington Heights is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Members Carmen De La Rosa and Sean Abreu. Its programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. The Today Show and Sherwin-Williams gifted Dance Project of Washington Heights with a welcoming reception space, and the organization has appeared on Univision Noticias discussing the program and its impact on Washington Heights.

Parents and caregivers have shared feedback about the program. One parent described it as an “Amazing place for DANCE in the Heights! Children and Adult classes, affordably serving our community.” Another family shared that their daughter has been attending for two years and that they “absolutely love it,” describing “wonderful and dedicated teachers” and calling it “a program that truly walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to art and equity.” A parent of a 7-month-old said their child “had the best time in the Infant Movement class,” noting that the instructor was “enthusiastic and warm,” that the music volume was “perfect for little ears,” and that the class used “little egg maracas and scarves to engage the babies and the parents.” Another parent said their daughter “loves it,” explaining that every weekend she “jumps out of bed and grabs her tutu and ballet shoes and tells us it's time to go,” and that the staff is “easy to communicate with” and “show great patience and ability in teaching.” During the pandemic, one family wrote that Eva Bustamove’s classes were “AWESOME” and that she was “great with the kids: teaching, listening, guiding, and inspiring them every week.”

Last updated April 17, 2026.