Why Community Dance Is Essential to Building Connection
For as long as there has been civilization, there have been music and community dance. And there's a reason for that! Movement creates magical moments for bringing people together, sparking creativity, and strengthening bonds that make communities like Rochester, NY, feel like home.
We see this every day at Rochester City Ballet (RCB). We asked our professional ballet dancers and instructors to share five ways they’ve seen dance and ballet benefit the community, such as creating opportunities for inclusion, access to the arts, network connections, and more!
Discover how you can join the movement at Rochester City Ballet.
Key Takeaways:
Community dance strengthens Rochester, NY by promoting inclusion, access to the arts, and meaningful shared experiences.
RCB’s outreach programs, free sensory-friendly performances, community classes, and family events make ballet accessible to dancers and audiences of all ages.
Ballet supports personal growth, helping children, teens, and adults build confidence, communication skills, body awareness, and lifelong connections.
1. Promote Inclusion Through Dance
Community dance creates belonging, and RCB is proud to help make ballet accessible, inspiring, and welcoming to all. Through our free sensory-friendly performances, individuals with autism, their families, and caregivers can be included in the magic of ballet in a comfortable, low-stress environment. These performances create an inclusive environment by offering accommodations such as:
No “quiet zone” expectations (expressive audiences welcomed!)
Gentle sound levels
No surprising effects or bright flashes
Theater lights that stay up for comfort
Freedom to move, wiggle, or take breaks
Devices like iPads are permitted for therapeutic support
Quiet areas available just outside the theater
Ballet can also promote inclusion through partnerships with other community organizations. At Rochester City Ballet, we believe that everyone deserves to experience the joy of live dance. That’s why we have our Community Outreach Performances.
Through these mini performances, we collaborate with schools, hospitals, and special education centers that may not otherwise experience the artistry and joy of ballet. This includes an entire week of outreach following our Nutcracker performances, where we visit and perform at schools in the community, Mary Cariola Center, Hillside Family of Agencies, and Golisano Children's Hospital. It’s our goal to include everyone in yearly traditions and spark holiday spirits!
2. Expand Access to the Arts in Rochester, NY
Access to the arts is essential for a thriving community, and ballet and community dance offer powerful entry points. That’s why we opened The School of RCB, where children are introduced to the beauty of ballet so they can build confidence, learn discipline, and engage in a lifelong love of movement.
Our courses are age appropriate, covering a wide range of experience levels to ensure students grow in a nurturing environment, regardless of their goals.
Additionally, every instructor at the School of RCB is a professionally trained dancer. This allows our staff to share unique insights into the ins-and-outs of the professional dance world. We guide students pursuing a professional track on what to learn, how to stand out, and apprenticeship opportunities.
Recently, we’ve introduced the Community Dance Program, an expansion dance program in Rochester, NY, that extends free classes to students at the Hillside Children’s Foundation. From first pliés to center stage moments, these programs help cultivate creativity, confidence, and strong work ethics to support the next generation of Rochester’s artists and dancers.
3. Discover New Ways to Connect Through Dance
Community dance deepens relationships, whether you’re sharing the studio with new friends, bonding over beloved traditions, or just coming together to enjoy movement and music. Sharing spaces and moving to the same rhythms have long created new connections and strengthened existing ones.
Beyond the dance itself, community dance events help seasoned and novice dance enthusiasts experience ballet performances in accessible ways.
For example, Rochester City Ballet’s yearly Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party invites families and friends to experience the whimsy of the season together through book readings, cookie decorating, and warm holiday treats. The event funds our Nutcracker Scholarship Program, which allows community dancers in need of financial assistance to perform in The Nutcracker.
These events form lasting memories that go beyond the final curtain drop and encourage more people to bond over their love of dance.
4. Build Better Body Awareness with Ballet
While there are various advantages that come from community dance for younger people, adults gain incredible personal benefits from ballet, too! In a world where many of us spend hours behind screens, ballet offers a rare opportunity to tune back into ourselves, move with intention, and feel fully present.
RCB’s Adult Dance Classes welcome dancers at every level, helping them build strength, explore expression, and rediscover what their bodies are capable of. With supportive instruction, adults grow in confidence while contributing to a more connected, creative community. Benefits of these adult classes include:
Improved strength, posture, and balance
Increased body awareness and mindfulness
Reduced stress through expressive movement
Boosted confidence and self-trust
A renewed sense of connection with others in the community and with oneself
5. Strengthen Communication Skills and Teamwork
Community dance is one of the most collaborative art forms. It’s also one of the most powerful ways to learn teamwork built through communication. But did you know that over half of human communication is nonverbal? Ballet brings that fact to life! In rehearsal and performances, dancers of all ages rely on eye contact, spatial awareness, timing, and mutual trust to work as one for collaborative success.
Community dance teaches dancers to listen, respond, support one another, and move with shared intention. Those skills follow the young dancers far beyond the studio and into the community, where communication and teamwork are essential for stability.
FAQs About Community Dance in Rochester, NY
What is community dance?
Community dance includes dance programs, classes, and events designed to be accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.
Does Rochester City Ballet offer community dance opportunities?
Yes! RCB offers free sensory-friendly performances, community outreach visits, free classes at Hillside Children’s Foundation, and public events throughout the year. Reach out to our team to get involved with community dance initiatives.
Can beginners participate in RCB classes?
Absolutely! Adults with no previous training are welcome in many of RCB’s dance programs. Besides ballet, we also teach pilates classes designed for dancers. Younger students can enroll in the School of RCB to learn ballet (pre-pointe, pointe, and variations), partnering, contemporary, Jazz, and more.
How does community dance benefit children?
There are countless ways that community dance benefits children! It helps children to build confidence, discipline, creativity, communication skills, and healthy routines, just to name a few!
Connect with Rochester City Ballet
Community dance strengthens Rochester, NY. We’re honored to help bring people together through artistry, education, and outreach. Whether you’re looking for classes, performances, or meaningful ways to engage with the arts, Rochester City Ballet offers inclusive programs for dancers and families across the Greater Rochester Area.
Ready to join the magic in motion? Connect with Rochester City Ballet today.
