California Dance Institute

California Dance Institute California Dance Institute is an in-school and after-school arts education program that uses dance to teach life and learning skills.

CDI works to give students in Los Angeles public schools opportunities to experience the joys of art and exercise. Founder and Director Carole Valleskey, formerly a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, started CDI in 2001. During the current school year CDI is serving over 1600 children in ten public schools in underserved neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles. In its thirteen-year history, CD

I has served over 14,000 Los Angeles area children. CDI is the California associate of the National Dance Institute (NDI), founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet’s Jacques d’Amboise. The program is unique in the arts education world because its focus is not on achieving mastery of a particular dance form, but rather on recognizing and striving for excellence. The athletic, high-energy dance style appeals to boys and girls alike, and studies have shown that participation in the program improves students’ academic performance and self-confidence. In the schools CDI serves, 87% of children are on the free lunch program (indicating an income of $33,000 or less for a family of four), 81% are Hispanic, 9% are African American, 4 % are Caucasian, 3% are Filipino, and 2% are Asian. 53% are of Limited English Proficiency and 2% are Special Education students. CDI employs only professional dancers and musicians. Each class is taught by a Lead Teacher, an Assistant Teacher and a Musical Accompanist, all of whom have been trained in the rigorous NDI teaching methodology. CDI is one of the only dance programs in Los Angeles to employ live musical accompaniment in dance classes taught in public schools.

09/03/2026

Shhhh. Take a sneak peak into CDI's Choreo session with our amazing team!

2026-27 Season here we come!

So excited to see this story come to life!

Do you know the origin of this music?

Congratulations are in order for CDI'S very own teaching artist Kashana who has just opened up for the legendary David ...
09/01/2026

Congratulations are in order for CDI'S very own teaching artist Kashana who has just opened up for the legendary David Byrne at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

California Dance Institute (CDI) is proud to celebrate Susan Gladstone on her appointment to the 2026–2027 California Da...
08/25/2026

California Dance Institute (CDI) is proud to celebrate Susan Gladstone on her appointment to the 2026–2027 California Dance Educators Association (CDEA) Board!
Susan’s continued leadership and commitment to dance education reflect the values we share at CDI: supporting excellence, expanding opportunities, and strengthening the performing arts and dance education community.

Organizations like CDEA play an essential role in advancing the field by connecting educators, advocating for quality dance education, and helping ensure that students throughout California have access to meaningful, high-quality dance experiences.

At California Dance Institute, we are honored to contribute to this larger movement toward excellence in performing arts and dance education. We believe strong educators, strong advocacy, and strong professional communities create stronger opportunities for students.

Congratulations, Susan! We look forward to celebrating your leadership and the continued impact of CDEA throughout the 2026–2027 school year.

DanceEducators ArtsEducation CaliforniaDance DanceLeadership

08/24/2026

What are some benefits of Dance Arts Education?

• CONFIDENCE
• TEAMWORK
• DISCIPLINE
• EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
• NATURAL THERAPY

CAN YOU ADD MORE TO OUR LIST?
LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS ⬇️

08/20/2026

Throw Back Thursday!
Our Eagle Rock Dancers singing along with the Amazing Kevin our Musical Director!

Every year Kevin creates a "New Year's Blues" to welcome the new year!

How lucky are we to have a live musician for every class!

Looking forward to this year's new tune 🎉🎉🎉

We are pleased to welcome our newest board member, Lee Munn-Arvinger!Prior to joining the board, Lee worked with CDI as ...
08/17/2026

We are pleased to welcome our newest board member, Lee Munn-Arvinger!

Prior to joining the board, Lee worked with CDI as both a teacher and a singer at the EOY.

Fun fact: she was also known as "the Oracle" because of her amazing choreography!

Lee currently works in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, helping families navigate shared experiences living with autism and other developmental disorders.

We are excited to have you on the team!
Cheers to a great year ahead! 🎉🎉🎉

Drop a 🤗 in the comments say hello!!!

Hurry! Our deadline for new schools to get our award-winning dance programming for this upcoming academic year is fast a...
08/07/2026

Hurry! Our deadline for new schools to get our award-winning dance programming for this upcoming academic year is fast approaching.

Check out our website for more information or email us at [email protected]

08/04/2026

Always Electric Energy with our Celebration Team!

07/27/2026

Support Arts Education!

CDI has been serving LAUSD community for 25 years! 🎉
We are excited to continue to spread the Joy of Dance this 2026/2027 season!

📽 Carlos Sanchez

CDI's Board of Directors had an incredible strategic planning retreat! Huge thank you to  Jane Galbraith, Dr. Leah Bass-...
07/22/2026

CDI's Board of Directors had an incredible strategic planning retreat! Huge thank you to 

Jane Galbraith, Dr. Leah Bass-Baylis, Nancy Scher, Lee Arvinger, Carole Valleskey, Vanja Habekovic, and Susan Gladstone for joining us at Bloom Cafe. And to Rebecca Wink and Harriet Clark for their feedback. We had an amazing host with Bloom, fortifying us with delicious, healthy food and even enjoyed a dance break in their incredible event space! We left feeling hopeful for the future and deeply grateful for all to come. Stay tuned for our Strategic Plan to see all we have planned!

Stop by Bloom Restaurant

Address

1171 S. Robertson Boulevard #602
Los Angeles, CA
90035

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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