Collaborations
Partner Schools
To see our work with our partner schools, click on their individual links below!
Pathway Partnership
A Collaboration Between California Dance Institute and Westside Ballet of Santa Monica
Why It Matters
Every child deserves the opportunity to explore their potential.
The Pathways Partnership helps identify talented young dancers and provides the training, mentorship, and support they need to thrive. For some students, a first dance class at school can become the beginning of a lifelong journey in the arts.
The next extraordinary dancer could be sitting in a classroom today, waiting to be discovered.
We are excited to announce the Pathways Partnership, a first-of-its-kind alliance between California Dance Institute (CDI) and Westside Ballet of Santa Monica. Together, we are creating a direct pathway from school-based dance classes to world-class ballet training, ensuring that talent, not circumstance, determines a child's opportunity to succeed.
Designed to expand access to high-quality dance education, the Pathways Partnership is opening doors for children with a passion and natural gift for dance; children who might otherwise never have the opportunity to discover where their talent could take them.
Many families face barriers to arts participation, including the cost of tuition, dancewear and supplies, transportation challenges, and limited access to dance programs in their schools and communities. Through this partnership, those barriers are removed, making dance training and artistic opportunity accessible to more children than ever before.
Through the Pathways Partnership, students benefit from:
Free weekly in-school dance classes taught jointly by CDI and Westside Ballet
Expanded CDI programming in under-resourced schools
Access to Westside Ballet's Dance to Dreams summer program
Full scholarships (including all shoes, supplies, and transportation) to Westside Ballet for CDI students with a passion and aptitude for ballet
Looking Ahead
What began as a pilot collaboration has grown into a shared vision for the future. By 2030, CDI and Westside Ballet aim to serve 20 schools and provide full scholarships to 40 students, creating a lasting pathway from a child's first dance class to advanced ballet training and lifelong engagement with the arts.
Donate today and create the next pathway to possibility!
Your support provides the training, resources, and opportunities that turn talent into achievement and dreams into performances on the world stage.
By investing in the Pathways Partnership, you help fund in-school programming, scholarships, dancewear and supplies, and transportation—ensuring that every child has the chance to pursue their passion, regardless of financial circumstances.
Interested in supporting a school partnership, funding a scholarship, or learning more about sponsorship opportunities?
ANDI
(Associates of the National Dance Institute)
California Dance Institute (CDI) was founded in 2001 by Carole Valleskey, a former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. CDI is dedicated to providing high-quality dance education to underserved public schools in Los Angeles County.
CDI is the California associate of the National Dance Institute (NDI), founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet’s Jacques d’Amboise. NDI's award-winning methodology, founded by d’Amboise, has inspired two dozen programs across the world. During its 25-year history, CDI has served over 22,000 Los Angeles-area students with NDI’s methodology. The one-of-a-kind, award-winning NDI Method™ embodies NDI’s philosophies: “joyful and rigorous learning for every child, teamwork and respect for others, culturally responsive pedagogy, and the power of performance”.
Become a Partner!
If you're interested in working with us, complete the form with a few details about your school or organization.