THE BRONX — The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance will expand this summer with a new school that focuses on techniques ranging from ballet to Brazilian martial arts.
BAAD will officially launch the Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre Academy in July, which will teach students from ages 6 to 9 about ballet, gymnastics, yoga, capoeira and more.
"We need to make sure that, as children are growing up, that they’re not afraid of a lot of things that dance can suggest, which is the total freedom of your body," said Arthur Aviles, artistic director and co-founder of BAAD.
The AATT Academy will initially take place from July 12 through Aug. 11 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the BAAD building at 2474 Westchester Ave. and cost $75.
BAAD then plans to evaluate and revise the program, with the goal of turning it into a year-round afterschool activity, and the group will consider adding classes in salsa, flamenco and hip-hop during its second year, according to the New York Community Trust, which recently awarded BAAD a $70,000 grant in support of its new academy.
Aviles hopes to get 10 boys and 10 girls to sign up for the AATT Academy this summer and said that so far five girls and four boys have committed.
He said working with younger children makes sense now because he is trying to build a dance company infused with the new ideas and creativity of youth.
"In the development of my dance company, I wanted new energy, and I wanted new minds, and this age group is very open," he said.
He also wants to make sure that children in the borough have something to do besides stay home and watch television over the summer, as he said The Bronx currently does not have a ton of options for youth arts programs.
"There’s so little going on as far as arts is concerned, and that concerns me," he said. "If I am a performing artist, I need a community of performing artists, and this can help our community to understand that this is important in our world and in our lives."
Aviles is an award-winning dancer/choreographer who was raised in Long Island and the South Bronx and toured internationally with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company for eight years.
He founded the Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre in 1996, and it has since performed at venues including Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Central Park Summerstage.
BAAD has been around since 1998 and puts on annual shows including the BAAD! Ass Women festival and the Out Like That! festival, as well as an annual holiday play called Los Nutcrackers: A Christmas Carajo.
"BAAD has made its reputation by providing a home for under-recognized artists," NYCT Senior Program Officer for Arts Kerry McCarthy said in a statement. "It makes sense that they would extend its mission to bring arts programs to young people who would otherwise go without.”
Parents interested in signing up their children for the dance academy can contact BAAD at 718-918-2110 or jessica@baadbronx.org.
