Early Childhood dance classes to inspire and excite!

Discover American Youth Dance Theater’s Early Childhood dance classes for babies, toddlers and children up to 3 years. Classes now in session at our school on the Upper East Side.

Early Childhood Dance Classes

Early Childhood dance classes to inspire and excite!

Welcome to AYDT Upper East Side!

Established in 1996 by accomplished professional dancer and native New Yorker Natalia Alonzo-Brillante, American Youth Dance Theater’s Upper East Side location has become one of NYC’s favorite providers of Early Childhood dance classes for children.

Natalia’s greatest joy is witnessing students develop into disciplined and dedicated young adults with a strong sense of respect for self and others.

Early Childhood Dance Classes: Movement Exploration!

Fun and engaging for both child and adult! As kids grow, they can join our Pre-Ballet separation classes (Nursery–Kindergarten).

We just ask that caregivers stay present—your attention makes all the difference!

  • First Steps Early Childhood Dance Class

First Steps

Ages 18 – 26 months
  • First Steps Early Childhood Dance Class

Babies and toddlers dance classes accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Twins must be accompanied by two adults, one for each child. Class is broken into two 9-week sessions.

  • Dance With Me Early Childhood Dance Class

Dance With Me

Ages 2.25 – 3 years
  • Dance With Me Early Childhood Dance Class

Dance With Me classes accompanied by a parent or caregiver. Twins must be accompanied by two adults, one for each child. Class is broken into two 9-week sessions.

Welcome to AYDT Upper East Side!

Since its establishment in 1996 by accomplished professional dancer and native New Yorker Natalia Alonzo-Brillante, American Youth Dance Theater’s Upper East Side location has become one of NYC’s favorite providers of dance education for children.

Click Play to watch our introduction video!

Why Early Childhood Dance Classes at AYDT?

American Youth Dance Theater is a private, non-corporate school offering dance classes for ages 18 months to 18 years. We begin with First Steps and Dance With Me , and continue through preschool to high school with Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Broadway, and Contemporary.

Students showcase their progress in joyful Holiday and Spring recitals. Our small classes, consistent teachers, and nurturing approach help each child grow with confidence. Tuition assistance is available for families who qualify.

AYDT proudly offers the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum—an 8-level program that blends top-tier ballet training with dancer health and child development. It provides age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to support every student’s growth, from beginner to advanced.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our dance program is designed to suit the needs of children who love to dance as a hobby as well as the professionally-oriented student. During the early years of training classes are focused on developing proper dance technique, in a motivational, fun and creative atmosphere. As students get older we offer a variety of classes, some geared towards students seeking pre-professional training and others developed for students interested in continuing with dance for recreation and fitness.
Our youngest class is First Steps, an introduction to movement for babies and toddlers 18-26 months accompanied by a parent or caregiver, followed by Dance With Me, for ages 2.25-3.
Yes, we do have boys in our program! In 2014 we started a special Boys’ Hip Hop/Breakdance program just for boys. We also accept boys into our co-ed classes, and although the ratio of boys to girls is rarely equal in any dance class, our instructors do their best to welcome boys into the classes and make them feel like they fit right in. Tap, Hip Hop and Broadway are often recommended for boys because they are more fast-paced, high-energy and relatively gender-neutral dance styles.
All of our teachers are professionally trained dancers with extensive teaching experience.
Class placement is typically by age and experience. Up until a certain level, beginners can join a class of similar aged children with little or no difficulty. Depending on the dance style, classes switch from age-based to skill-based somewhere between school grades 3-5, but we always offer entry level classes in all dance styles for older beginners so nobody is left out.

Please read the Description of Classes by clicking ‘View Class and Register’ for the class you’re interested in; the appropriate ages and grades for each class are listed. If you feel your child falls between levels or are still unsure about which class would be best for your child, then please call our office (212) 717-5419.

Attendance: Because the Fall and Spring Semesters culminate in dance recitals (ages 3.5 and up), attendance is important. Students may not miss more than 3 classes in the Fall semester or 4 in the Spring semester. Please contact us regards our attendance policy.

Students who miss more than the allowed number of classes are not allowed to participate in the recitals. Our calendar is loosely based on the NYC public school calendar. If your child goes to a private school, there is a good chance that some of his/her school vacations will conflict with our class schedule. If you generally go out of town during private school vacations, and your child also misses a few classes due to illness or other reasons, it is highly possible that they will miss more than the allowed number of absences for recital participation, and may need to do a private lesson to catch up or may be excluded from recital participation altogether if the absences exceed a certain number.

Please take a good look at our Attendance Policy and Calendar, to carefully consider whether you can realistically commit, before deciding to register for classes at AYDT. This is not the kind of program where you can register for a class and just show up whenever you want to. We want to make sure that children who register for our program actually learn the course material, and this can only happen if they are in class consistently.

Make-up classes: Your child is welcome to participate in up to 3 make-up dance classes during the Fall semester and 4 in the Spring, 2 for 9-week Dance with Me sessions, and one during the 4-5 week summer sessions. Absences are not deducted from the tuition, but can be made up before the end of the semester. Classes that fall on a school holiday may also be made up. Please view our complete Attendance Policy for more information on scheduling make-up classes.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, we firmly believe that children of all ages need down-time to play and just be a kid! We do not recommend doing a different activity every day after school, even if it means not taking a dance class at our studio.

We advocate for healthy well-balanced children, and for teaching children healthy time-management skills. We have also found that over-scheduled kids are not able to continue past a certain point at our studio due to excessive overlapping of activities and commitments.

We try our best to include students with learning differences who are able to integrate in a structured group class setting with one instructor in the studio. Since each situation is different, this is handled on a case by case basis. If your child has learning differences and they would like to take dance class, feel free to contact us by phone at 212-717-5419 or email at [email protected] to discuss your child’s individual case.
We offer financial assistance to children that have an unbridled passion for dance that cannot afford to take class on a regular basis. If you are in need of assistance, please contact us to find out more..

Our Address

Nestled in the vibrant enclave of the Upper East Side and a prime location for students from various nearby neighborhoods. Easily reachable from surrounding areas of Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, Roosevelt Island, Sutton Place, and parts of Midtown Manhattan.

Find us at:

American Youth Dance Theater
428 East 75th Street, Upper East Side
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 717–5419

The UES’s Favorite Choice for Early Childhood Dance Classes

The UES’s Favorite Choice for Early Childhood Dance Classes

We’re excited to welcome you to the AYDT family! Our classes offer a wonderful space for your child to explore dance, build confidence, and enjoy the magic of performing. Ready to join us? Register now to reserve your place.