Dance Project of Washington Heights
Dance Project of Washington Heights, 350 Fort Washington Avenue, New York, NY 10033
About
Dance Project of Washington Heights offers classes in dance styles including ballet, tap, jazz, Afro-Pop dance, break dance, Hula, Latin dance, musical theater dance, salsa, bachata, merengue, and hip hop. The program also includes an Infant Movement class and describes the DPWH Ensemble as a dance company in training.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
Dance Project of Washington Heights is a nonprofit dance organization with a mission 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% identified as extremely low-income. The student body includes 65% who identify as Latinx, 45% who identify as Black, and 104 current students who are boys. The program reports that 65 students have advanced to level 2 ballet instruction, 31 students are enrolled in ballet level 3, 143 students take 2 classes per week, 35 are enrolled in 3 classes per week, and 10 students take 4 different classes per week. It offers bilingual classes in salsa, bachata, and merengue, and includes neuro-diverse classrooms with an emphasis on inclusion, child-centered teaching, positive classroom management, and a focus on encouraging kids to be creative, make choices, love themselves, use their voices, and learn the roots of hip hop culture and street styles. The organization highlights an emphasis on social justice, including the hashtags #blacklivesmatter, #nokidsincages, and #abolishice, and mentions community events such as a Thriller event and a Harvest Festival. Dance Project of Washington Heights describes a diverse faculty whose representation reflects the diversity of dance and the community, and states that faculty are trained and experienced, focused on technique, and hired for a high level of training, passion for children and for social justice, and a wide array of experience. The program notes a community of volunteers and families with the phrase “We’re all in this together” and states that DPWH is hiring, listing available positions and application instructions.
The leadership team includes Co-Founder and Executive Director Heather Godfrey; General Manager, Jazz, Amina Vargas; and Directors Rodney Hamilton and 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.
Faculty credentials include tap artist Max Pollak, who appears on a U.S. postage stamp, is a 2011 Bessie Award nominee, a 2010 Individual Artist Grantee of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and a 2008 fellow in Choreography from the New York Foundation of the Arts, and is described as one of the most prestigious names on the international tap scene. 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,” was seen as Anita in Chicago’s Lyric Theater production of West Side Story, in Rhythm is Life by Dormeshia Sumbrey Edwards and Chasing Magic by Ayodele Casel, and is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts, where she studied under Glen Eddy of Nederlands Dans Theatre and Andre Tyson from Ailey Company. 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. Evabustamove (EvaB Oricci) is a Guatemalan NYC-based creative artist and a 2023 Bessie award recipient for choreography under Les Ballet Afrik for the evening-length work “New York is Burning,” and has performed at The Joyce Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow, and New Victory Theatre while maintaining a role as a dance educator. Lili Tewes is originally from Hamburg, Germany, graduated from the Martha Graham School under the artistic direction of Janet Eilber where she danced principal roles in several of Graham’s ballets, and from age 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 who has developed her artistic career in companies such as Danza Experimental and the Anna Pavlova Ballet in Bogotá, Azoe Danza in Cali, and Albano Ballet. Andres is a professional Latin dancer and choreographer who specializes in Afro Cuban and Latin dance, is classically trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz, and participates in international dance competitions as a Salsa Soloist as well as on professional teams. Josh Walden has appeared in the Broadway revivals of 42nd Street, La Cage aux Folles, A Chorus Line, and Ragtime, as well as the 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, the Eglevsky Ballet, and privately.
Dance Project of Washington Heights states that it is providing access to dance education to the Washington Heights community and that it is a nonprofit dance organization. The program 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 organization mentions a community of volunteers and families and notes that it has been featured on The Today Show and on Univision Noticias discussing its impact on Washington Heights.
Parent and caregiver testimonials describe the program as “Amazing place for DANCE in the Heights! Children and Adult classes, affordably serving our community,” and mention “wonderful and dedicated teachers” and a program that “truly walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to art and equity.” One parent notes that a 7‑month‑old “had the best time in the Infant Movement class,” describing the instructor as “enthusiastic and warm,” the music volume as “perfect for little ears,” and the use of “little egg maracas and scarves to engage the babies and the parents.” Another parent reports that their daughter “jumps out of bed and grabs her tutu and ballet shoes” every weekend and describes staff as “easy to communicate with” and showing “great patience and ability in teaching.” A family also shares that Eva Bustamove’s classes during the pandemic were “AWESOME,” and that she was “great with the kids: teaching, listening, guiding, and inspiring them every week.”
Last updated July 29, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
Dance Project of Washington Heights is a nonprofit dance organization with a mission 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% identified as extremely low-income. The student body includes 65% who identify as Latinx, 45% who identify as Black, and 104 current students who are boys. The program reports that 65 students have advanced to level 2 ballet instruction, 31 students are enrolled in ballet level 3, 143 students take 2 classes per week, 35 are enrolled in 3 classes per week, and 10 students take 4 different classes per week. It offers bilingual classes in salsa, bachata, and merengue, and includes neuro-diverse classrooms with an emphasis on inclusion, child-centered teaching, positive classroom management, and a focus on encouraging kids to be creative, make choices, love themselves, use their voices, and learn the roots of hip hop culture and street styles. The organization highlights an emphasis on social justice, including the hashtags #blacklivesmatter, #nokidsincages, and #abolishice, and mentions community events such as a Thriller event and a Harvest Festival. Dance Project of Washington Heights describes a diverse faculty whose representation reflects the diversity of dance and the community, and states that faculty are trained and experienced, focused on technique, and hired for a high level of training, passion for children and for social justice, and a wide array of experience. The program notes a community of volunteers and families with the phrase “We’re all in this together” and states that DPWH is hiring, listing available positions and application instructions.
The leadership team includes Co-Founder and Executive Director Heather Godfrey; General Manager, Jazz, Amina Vargas; and Directors Rodney Hamilton and 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.
Faculty credentials include tap artist Max Pollak, who appears on a U.S. postage stamp, is a 2011 Bessie Award nominee, a 2010 Individual Artist Grantee of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, and a 2008 fellow in Choreography from the New York Foundation of the Arts, and is described as one of the most prestigious names on the international tap scene. 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,” was seen as Anita in Chicago’s Lyric Theater production of West Side Story, in Rhythm is Life by Dormeshia Sumbrey Edwards and Chasing Magic by Ayodele Casel, and is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts, where she studied under Glen Eddy of Nederlands Dans Theatre and Andre Tyson from Ailey Company. 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. Evabustamove (EvaB Oricci) is a Guatemalan NYC-based creative artist and a 2023 Bessie award recipient for choreography under Les Ballet Afrik for the evening-length work “New York is Burning,” and has performed at The Joyce Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow, and New Victory Theatre while maintaining a role as a dance educator. Lili Tewes is originally from Hamburg, Germany, graduated from the Martha Graham School under the artistic direction of Janet Eilber where she danced principal roles in several of Graham’s ballets, and from age 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 who has developed her artistic career in companies such as Danza Experimental and the Anna Pavlova Ballet in Bogotá, Azoe Danza in Cali, and Albano Ballet. Andres is a professional Latin dancer and choreographer who specializes in Afro Cuban and Latin dance, is classically trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz, and participates in international dance competitions as a Salsa Soloist as well as on professional teams. Josh Walden has appeared in the Broadway revivals of 42nd Street, La Cage aux Folles, A Chorus Line, and Ragtime, as well as the 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, the Eglevsky Ballet, and privately.
Dance Project of Washington Heights states that it is providing access to dance education to the Washington Heights community and that it is a nonprofit dance organization. The program 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 organization mentions a community of volunteers and families and notes that it has been featured on The Today Show and on Univision Noticias discussing its impact on Washington Heights.
Parent and caregiver testimonials describe the program as “Amazing place for DANCE in the Heights! Children and Adult classes, affordably serving our community,” and mention “wonderful and dedicated teachers” and a program that “truly walks the walk and talks the talk when it comes to art and equity.” One parent notes that a 7‑month‑old “had the best time in the Infant Movement class,” describing the instructor as “enthusiastic and warm,” the music volume as “perfect for little ears,” and the use of “little egg maracas and scarves to engage the babies and the parents.” Another parent reports that their daughter “jumps out of bed and grabs her tutu and ballet shoes” every weekend and describes staff as “easy to communicate with” and showing “great patience and ability in teaching.” A family also shares that Eva Bustamove’s classes during the pandemic were “AWESOME,” and that she was “great with the kids: teaching, listening, guiding, and inspiring them every week.”
Last updated July 29, 2026.
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