Mission and Vision

Through the joyful art and practice of social dances, Dancing Classrooms cultivates engaged learners, collaborative leaders, and inclusive spaces. We envision a world that values social dance as foundational to every child’s well-being and joy, celebrates the beauty of diversity, and amplifies our shared humanity.

Organizational Overview

Made famous by the acclaimed 2005 documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom,” DC has been an arts education leader for almost 30 years. We provide more dance instruction than any other nonprofit  partner in NYC, serving over 15,000 students in 150 schools each year; predominantly in low-income communities. Since its founding, DC has danced with over 700,000 children globally and currently supports 10 affiliates across the U.S. 

With a portfolio of standards-based K-12 grade in- and after-school residencies, we use social and partner dance to teach children the soft and “power” skills that will help them succeed in school and life such as collaboration, focus, listening, and perseverance. DC’s programs are gender inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible to Students With Disabilities (both physical and neurological). 

Emerging from the pandemic years, DC is uniquely positioned to meet the moment with a research-backed methodology that supports children’s social-emotional learning skills and mental health. With freshly articulated vision, mission, and values statements and a new strategic plan in place, we are eager to build a highly motivated and effective development team to scale our programs to impact 50% more children over the next three years. 

Our Culture: 

DC believes in the potential of every student and is dedicated to cultivating their artistic, physical, cognitive and social skills in order to support their long-term success. Our culture thrives by putting the remarkable young people we serve at the center of everything we do. Having worked remotely for several years, DC team members are proactive and self-driven, but also thrive in a collaborative environment where flexibility, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. Kindness, compassion, empathy and respect are at the forefront of the way we treat each other, our students, our teaching artists, our school partners, and our supporters. We strive to embrace our role as life-long-learners and to embrace diversity, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding. DC provides ongoing professional development for employees, and actively encourages finding ways to stretch, grow, and continually develop leadership capacity. We center people–our students and staff–by making dedicated time for exploring, understanding, and living our values of connection, inclusion, and joy.

In line with our organizational values, and in support of emotional and physical well-being, we are committed to prioritizing the health and safety of our students, TAs, staff, and school/organization partners. Before applying, please refer to the Covid-19 policies on our website at www.dancingclassrooms.org.

Dancing Classrooms seeks an Education & Programming Assistant who will play a key role in supporting the day to day operations and internal communications of the Education and Programming Departments. The Assistant will work alongside the Education Director and Deputy Director, providing administrative and programmatic support to the Dancing Classrooms team. The Assistant will be the go-to person to ensure a smooth line of communications from potential new school and community partners to Program Managers, and the backbone in supporting logistics for DC’s rigorous Teaching Artist training and professional developments.

Requirements & Qualifications: 

• 1-2 years of relevant experience in a professional setting, in nonprofit or education administration a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal, and ethical conduct skills 
• We are looking for a people person – must be comfortable delivering high-quality customer service, savvy at navigating the nuances of communicating with multiple stakeholders
• Relevant experience promoting programs/products across an array of touch points (phone calls, emails, written materials, etc.) is a plus
• Must be passionate about the mission and work of DC 
• Demonstrated commitment to: 
• Culturally responsive and culturally sustaining education 
• LGBTQI+ inclusivity practices in education and administration 
• Social emotional learning 
• Strong organizational skills with a demonstrated ability to multitask, take initiative, and work independently while supporting and working with multiple project leads 
• Must be tech savvy and and capable of communicating through multiple channels 
• Experience in: 
• Microsoft Excel and Google Suite (mail, drive, docs, sheets, forms, calendars, classrooms, slides, etc.) a must 
• Microsoft PowerPoint, Slack and Asana, preferred 
• We encourage ongoing professional growth, and a willingness to learn new skills, try new things, and “dive in” will be of the utmost importance, particularly as learning on the job is necessary when joining an organization of our size. Experience in and/or willingness to develop expertise in the following areas: 
• Salesforce, Canva, online video platforms (vimeo, youtube, tik tok, Instagram Live, etc.), Vimeo, and social media 
• Must be comfortable working hybrid (in-person at offices in midtown west minimum 1x a week)
• Ability to travel (drive or public transportation) to in-person meetings, storage facility, in-person meetings, and events around the NYC metro area as needed

General Support:

• Collaborate with Operations & HR Coordinator to maintain accurate log of program supplies and materials in DC storage unit, and restock of supplies as needed
• Maintaining the program and education departments’ Google Drives 
• Supporting video and photo documentation of DC work in the field through site visits and tracking systems
• Support DC special events, including but not limited to the Department of Education’s annual ACES fair and DC’s Annual Gala 
• Support other projects as requested by Deputy or Education Directors
• Support communication between Education and Programming Departments

Support the Education Department with the following:

• ​​Together with Education Director, maintain Teaching Artist Master Tracker spreadsheet tracking TA work, assignments, professional development, and more
• Oversee shadowing schedule of prospective TAs candidates during hiring process
• Maintain communication and confirmations among DC TAs, TA candidates, and school partners
• Follow-up on prospective TA candidates shadowing reflections and documentation
• Assist STAs in scheduling visits with cohorts
• Oversee space planning and booking for TA trainings and professional developments
• Coordinate logistics around TA trainings and professionals developments, including supplies, food/bev, handouts, AV, and other site specific needs
• Assist in the creation and dissemination of internal TA communications, such as quarterly newsletters, company memos, and special event opportunities

Support the Programming Department with the following:

• Serve as the first point of contact for new schools and organizations (CBOs) inquiring about Dancing Classrooms’ programs via online contact forms, email, and phone call
• Maintain tracking system of inquiries and ongoing communications 
• Schedule new school inquiry meetings as needed with Program Managers and school/CBO contacts
• Answer questions and distribute materials about DC programs
• Provide logistical and administrative support for program business meetings and events, including but not limited to pitch meetings, conferences, and site visits
• Overseeing the collection and tracking of student media release forms and other communications with schools 
• Together with the Senior Manager of the National Network, provide occasional administrative support, as needed, to National program outreach and special events

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing your experience and expertise in the aforementioned qualifications. Please send application materials to jobs@dancingclassrooms.org, with the subject line “Education and Program Assistant” by November 1st. Prospective applicants will be interviewed on a rolling basis.