Our teaching method
Developed by Valentyn Usmanov, our method works for any subject. It raises students’ interest in new material and builds the habit and skill of learning on their own. A required part of it is applying what you learn in practice.
Our approach
A method that makes children want to learn
It began with folk dance
Folk dance has no strict rules, so children are free from the fear of making mistakes. That freedom is where the method started.
Schools & universities
We collaborate with schools and universities across the United States, and we are a recognized vendor of the NYC Department of Education and NYU.
Courses for youth
Beyond dance, we teach U.S. history, political science and sociology.
Community work
Our students volunteer, support seniors, and work alongside schools, parks and city agencies.
A sponsored ensemble
Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope is a year-round ensemble with concerts and tours, funded by sponsors rather than by parents.
What makes our program unique
- Thanks to our teaching method, children learn new dances quickly and keep what they learn.
- All of our choreography is original and works with any number of dancers, so we can give 2–3 concerts a day without losing quality or spectacle.
- The habit of learning on their own helps our dancers do better in school.
- Our volunteer programs for children and adults help newly arrived immigrants settle in faster.
- Our organization is supported by a large team of volunteers.
Who we work with
Through Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope we work with:
NYC Parks
We organize free concerts in New York City parks, with permits from the parks and the police. Some parks support us with grants.
NYC public schools
As a vendor of the NYC Department of Education, we work with public schools. Our dancers take part for free in school concerts, multicultural projects and afterschool programs.
Dance Parade
We are partners of the Dance Parade, the annual dance event in Manhattan.
Universities & colleges
We work with universities and colleges that have Russian language departments or Slavic clubs, including NYU, Vanderbilt University, Adelphi University and schools in Connecticut.
How we work
Our work has three main directions
Teaching method
We make sure our teaching method is used well. We work with the club’s teachers and choreographers, create new dances, help find and buy costumes, and write scripts for events.
Free performances
Today almost any chance to perform costs money for a dance group or for parents. We are proud that for the last 5 years every Kaleidoscope performance has been 100% free for parents, even outside New York.
Volunteers negotiate with organizers and prepare events where only Kaleidoscope performs: in parks, at schools and at street festivals with closed streets, like our annual Dance Under the Sky in Brighton Beach. We also find sponsors for performances.
Support for families
Brighton Beach has many newly arrived immigrants and many low-income, large and single-parent families. We look for sponsors to cover free classes for their children, and for volunteers who can teach them and go with them to performances.
Looking for something else? Visit Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope.