Founded in 1980 by Mr. Hsueh-Tung Chen, the Arts Gate Center in Chinatown, NY, is a year-round arts school offering Ballet, Modern Dance, Chinese Dance, Chinese Martial Arts and private piano instruction to over 250 students each week. With a diverse and qualified faculty and staff, the school offers a means of cultural development for both children and adults on a citywide basis.
Arts Gate Center's Curriculum is specially designed to suit every age group and level of competence. The faculty is comprised of 12 highly trained professionals with many years of teaching experience in dance and music. Most members of the faculty hold a Master's degree in their specific field. Nicknamed the "Chinatown Juilliard," ARTS GATE CENTER is proud to have several Juilliard alumni on its staff, and instructors from reputable academies in China, Taiwan, and Japan.Admission to the school is accomplished through an interview process; students must show a keen aptitude and interest in order to enroll in classes. Classes are conducted in a manner as to prepare young students for further professional studies, and older students for professional work. In addition to the regular schedule of classes, special workshops with guest instructors are held for advanced students.
The goals of the Arts Gate Center's instruction and training program are to:
1. Provide arts training of the highest quality to the community.
2. Enable talented children and young professionals to pursue dance and music training through low cost tuition and scholarships.
3. Cultivate an aesthetic sensibility in the Asian-American contemporary and traditional arts, while developing technical proficiency.
4. Encourage the development of new Asian-American choreographers.
Curriculum
New to the curriculum is our Pre-K class in creative movement for three and a half to four and a half year olds where boys and girls are introduced to the joy of movement, music and imagination. In Pre-Ballet I (5-6 years) and Pre-Ballet II (6-7 years), children continue to explore the fundamentals of Ballet and Modern Dance, while building self-assurance, health, and coordination.
Formal training in dance begins at age 7 with classes available to develop the potential dancer throughout the teen years. An integrated syllabus of Ballet, Modern, and Traditional Chinese Dance offers the young dancer the opportunity to develop skill, grace, discipline, and a heightened sense of well being. Utilizing these foundations, the students will be encouraged to develop their own movement vocabulary through use of Creative Dance and thematic material.
The Modern Dance, Ballet and Wushu classes are geared toward teens and adults seeking professional instruction or exercise. These classes and workshops provide professional instruction to serious students and teach exercises for body fitness, strength and vitality.
ARTS GATE CENTER'S special relationship to H.T. Chen & Dancers enables the school to enhance the growth of qualified advanced students with opportunities to perform. Students ages 5-Adult are encouraged to develop movement studies for performance in Arts Gate Center's "Chance to Dance" concerts, presented semi-annually. Fully trained advanced students in Arts Gate Center may be selected to join H.T. Chen & Dancers or have the opportunity to appear in H.T. Chen & Dancers' productions. The Company also has a longtime relationship with LaGuardia High School for the Arts, and students are encouraged to further their studies at specialized high schools or at college. In addition, at the close of each year Arts Gate Center presents Annual Music and Dance Open Houses, where parents, family members, and friends are invited to attend performances by the students.
Enrollment
Except where classes are full due to the number of students already enrolled, students in, Pre-K, Pre-Ballet and Ballet I classes are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students are accepted for Ballet II and III following audition and/or interview. Pointe classes, at both the beginner and intermediate level, are for regular students only, and are at the discretion of the director and instructor. Students are accepted to the Boys and Professional classes through interview and at the discretion of the director or instructor.Continuing piano students have first choice on the class schedule and all others are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
(Note: Families with more than one child enrolled are charged the full rate. But should it become financially difficult for your children to continue dance lessons, please speak to us about financial assistance.)
Attire
For admission to classes, students must be properly attired. Girls are required to wear pink or black leotards, ballet slippers, and tights. Long hair must be securely fastened into a bun, short hair should be held off the face with headbands. Boys are required to wear black or navy blue leotards, ballet slippers, and tights or shorts of any color. Adult female students are required to wear pink or black tights, leotards of any color, and pink or white ballet slippers. Students in Wushu classes are required to wear Kung Fu pants, shirt and shoes, or sweat pants and a T-shirt of solid color. Street shoes should be left outside the classroom.
Tuition Payments
Arts Gate Center's school year is divided into three semesters - Fall, Spring, and Summer. The fee for a single dance class is $10.50 and a single Wushu class is $12.00; individual piano lesson (30 min.) is $l8.00 and $27.00 for 45-minutes lesson.
Tuition for all classes must be paid in full for each semester at the time of enrollment. The school prefers payment be in the form of a check or money order. If payment is in cash it is important to obtain a receipt, as the school is unable to credit cash payment not reflected in its records.For enrollment information, call (212) 349-0126, or email info@htchendance.org
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H.T. Dance Company Inc is the nonprofit umbrella for :
H.T. Chen & Dancers | Arts Gate Center | Mulberry St Theater
H.T. Dance Company Inc © 2006
