Sleepover party at JHSD

The children who cross the threshold of the Jones Haywood School of Dance (JHSD) enter through wide doors of opportunity. They are given a vehicle for exploration to a world they have never been, and the imagination to dream of a world they have never seen. The students learn the exacting techniques of ballet, the complex rhythms of jazz, the fluidity and percussion elements of modern dance, and the significant movement of African dance; but they also learn the value of excellence and the importance of hard work.

JH alumnus and Alvin Ailey principal dancer, Renee Robinson, poses with JHSD students at a Kennedy Center event

The school has been consistent in offering its students the best dance training available, utilizing theconsiderable skill and talent of its early founders, Doris Jones and Claire Haywood, and its current owner and artistic director, Sandra Fortune-Green, along with a carefully selected staff who share their considerable expertise. Students also have an opportunity to witness first hand professional dancers and dance companies that visit JHSD throughout the year and in the summer months through the Summer Intensive program. JHSD also have a variety of opportunities for travel to participate in outside workshops like the International Association of Blacks in Dance, in Denver, CO, and Tapology, in Flint, MI; and students are also given the opportunity to volunteer in house through dance internships.