Rethinking power Through the discipline of dance
DIW is a movement-based organization empowering dancers to transform communities, challenge inequity, and reshape what the dance industry can be.
Our Mission
To increase inclusive and diverse representation at every level of the professional ballet and dance industries, thereby impacting racial and economic equity in dance nationally and globally.
40 Years of DIW
Forty years is long enough to have a history. It is also long enough to have a responsibility.
Forty years ago, Fabian Barnes built a place where young people could enter carrying the weight of the world and leave understanding something different about themselves: I belong here. I am capable. I can become more. Four decades and 46,000 students later, that place is still here, and this season we are making it bigger.
Legacy means having the courage and clarity to understand what his vision requires of us now. We are opening our doors wider, repurposing our space, and becoming a hub where the DMV can gather, create, and reconnect. It is a calling to keep serving.
Watch the video to see what’s ahead this season.
40 Years of DIW
Forty years is long enough to have a history. It is also long enough to have a responsibility.
Forty years ago, Fabian Barnes built a place where young people could enter carrying the weight of the world and leave understanding something different about themselves: I belong here. I am capable. I can become more. Four decades and 46,000 students later, that place is still here, and this season we are making it bigger.
Legacy means having the courage and clarity to understand what his vision requires of us now. We are opening our doors wider, repurposing our space, and becoming a hub where the DMV can gather, create, and reconnect. It is a calling to keep serving.
Through subsidized tuition and need-based scholarships, financial barriers never stand between a young person and world-class dance education. The result: 100% of our graduates complete high school, and 99% enter college or professional careers.
Find your path at DIW
Parents & Students
Shape a future of purpose with our training model. Our programs offer rigorous ballet training, academic support, and leadership development.
Explore programs
Donors & Supporters
Your support helps launch the next generation of changemakers. Fuel our mission to transform communities through dance and advance equity.
Support our missionCommunity Partners
Request our talented dancers for your event, explore school programs and field trips, or engage in professional development opportunities.
Get involved
Who We Are
An Equity-Driven Organization Reshaping the Dance Industry
We exist to disrupt longstanding patterns of systemic exclusion and to reimagine who has access to technical skill development, career advancement pathways, and leadership opportunities.
The Dance Institute of Washington stands at the intersection of classical ballet, community empowerment, and social innovation, proving that dance can be a tool for real social and economic change.
100% of DIW's programming is subsidized
Through subsidized tuition and need-based scholarships, financial barriers never stand between a young person and world-class dance education. The result: 100% of our graduates complete high school, and 99% enter college or professional careers.
The DIW Difference
Dance for Systems Change
DIW’s impact is built on three interconnected pillars that address the full arc of transformation.
Pillar One
Developing Artists &
Leaders
Holistic, equity-centered training that builds technical excellence alongside life skills such as mental resilience through Power Hour™, academic tutoring, financial literacy, and career prep that extends far beyond the studio.
Pillar Two
Strengthening DC's Cultural Ecosystem
5,000+ hours of subsidized rehearsal space and 20+ national and regional community partners — expanding opportunity, infrastructure, and belonging for DC’s artists and companies.
Pillar Three
Advancing Equity
Globally
Driving systems change, institutional equity, and global exchange in dance by sharing proven methodology and equity frameworks worldwide.
Where our graduates are now
Our alumni are placed in professional companies, top university dance programs, arts administration, and fields well beyond the stage because DIW trains discipline, range, and professional readiness from day one.
University & Company Placements
DIW graduates are securing placements in top-tier university dance programs, conservatories, and professional companies, including residencies in Las Vegas and Broadway.
Industry-Ready Portfolios
Every student graduates with a complete professional portfolio — headshots, reels, and CVs — making them competitive from day one.
Advocacy & Thought Leadership
Our alumni are serving as panelists, researchers, and advocates for equity in the arts, becoming the voices redefining the industry’s future.
Cultural Diplomacy
Through global partnerships, students engage in cultural exchange, exporting DIW’s values and returning with perspectives that inform their artistry and leadership.
Beyond Dance Careers
Our graduates thrive in arts administration, nonprofits, tech, and policy — equipped with discipline and creative problem-solving.
Student Leadership
Students are governing their own experience through leadership councils and the Assemblée Intergenerational Think Tank, learning advocacy and governance before they graduate.
Decades of proven impact
We exist to launch the next changemaker. One who knows how to extend a leg and extend opportunity to others.
Programs & classes
World-class dance education for every age and level. Some of our offerings are structured programs with an application or enrollment process, while others are open classes you can simply sign up for and join.
Spotlight
Latest News & Stories
Stay connected with the DIW community.
2025
Named a 2025 Sports 4 Life grant recipient, co-founded by the Women’s Sports Foundation and ESPN, fueling our work using the power of sport to build leadership and resilience.
2025
Among 14 organizations selected, with support that strengthens our dance, education, and mentorship programs to help young artists thrive.
2024
This landmark grant will help DIW expand inclusive and accessible dance education locally and worldwide.
DIW In Action
See the Movement
