92nd Street Y To Expand Dance Center Following $5M Gift

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Upper East Side's 92nd Street Y will expand its dance center and hire a new director to oversee the instution's dance program following a $5 million gift from one of its board members, the cultural institution announced this week.

A $5 million donation from dance educator Jody Gottfried Arnhold and her husband John will fund a project to "physically transform the Harkness Dance Center," 92nd Street Y executives said in a press release. The project calls for the creation of a new flexible dance studio that will expand the footprint of Buttenwieser Hall on Lexington Avenue.

"Jody’s generous gift will ensure that the Harkness Dance Center’s already vibrant programming can continue to grow and bring communities together," Laurence Belfer, Chairman of the Board of the 92nd Street Y, said in a statement. "We could not be more excited for Jody’s tremendous contribution to the dance communities we serve here in New York, across the country and around the globe."

In addition to physically expanding the space, the 92nd Street Y plans to hire a "visionary director to nourish dance across the institution," according to a press release. The director will be responsible for shaping the 92nd Street Y's dance programs and dance education for a new generation of dancers.

Dance icons such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey and Merce Cunningham all have conections to the Harnkess Dance Center, 92nd Street Y executives said in a press release. The center offers dance education to students of all levels and ages in multiple styles such as modern, ballet, swing, flamenco and hip hop.

In addition to being a 92nd Street Y board member, Arnhold is the Founder of the nationally-recognized program the Dance Education Laboratory. The program provides professional training and support to dance educators.

"Harkness Dance Center is the historic home of modern dance, and a leader in dance education, teacher training and curriculum development through the Dance Education Laboratory," Arnhold said in a statement. "I’m proud to support the Center’s physical expansion with this gift, which will allow even more students, educators and audience members to benefit from all that 92Y has to offer in dance."