About Us

Unity Dance Studio first opened in April 2005. Founded by Ms. Yolanda Ramirez, the Unity Dance Group
started with very small group of girls. The dance program consisted of a creative movement class which
was taught by solely Ms. Ramirez. The Unity Dancers made their first public appearance that same month
at the African American Heritage Day parade downtown Newark. Eight months later, the Unity Dancers
held their first dance recital. The show, titled “Toys for Tots” was Unity Dancers debut performance before
a crowd of over 200 people. The audience members brought toys as their admission fees and the Unity
Dance Group donated the toys collected to various local charity organizations that serve disadvantaged
children. The Toys for Tots event has since become an annual event for the Unity Dance Group.

In its two years of operation, the Unity Dance Studio has expanded significantly. There are now over 30
students enrolled in two separate dance groups. There are two dance instructors on staff as well as a
choreographer. The dance programs have expanded to include: Ballet, Jazz, Liturgical (praise dance),
African and Hip Hop. A boys dance and step group was recently added to the repertoire.

The environment at Unity Dance Studio is structured, yet non-competitive which allows the students to
develop their individual talents and creativity while giving them the ability to work collaboratively with their
team members to achieve common artistic goals. Students are taught to experience dance as an art form in
which they can develop discipline as well as their hone their artistry.

Unity Dance Studio's unique feature is its mentoring sessions. Ms. Ramirez decided to incorporate
mentoring sessions into the dance program curriculum because she felt that by teaching students dance
concepts and its components, these attributes could be used by the students to make connections between
the dance arts and the creative thinking process. The knowledge gleaned by the students in their dance
classes and their mentoring sessions enlightens, educates and empowers them thereby helping to improve the
quality of their overall lives.

Unity Dance Studio is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization committed to the development and enrichment of
the lives of its students by offering an environment that encourages creativity and camaraderie in addition to
affording the students the opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.