Dance Arts Academy Foundation

Dance Arts Academy Foundation empowers youth through culturally responsive arts education, leadership development, wellness, and social-emotional learning, creating pathways for confidence, creativity, cultural preservation, and lifelong success.

Founded in Orange County, Dance Arts Academy Foundation was created to ensure every child has access to high-quality arts education, regardless of income or zip code. We partner with Title I schools, community organizations, and teaching artists to provide dance, wellness, and leadership programs that remove barriers to participation while celebrating culture, identity, and community. Through year-round classes, school residencies, performances, and scholarships, we serve hundreds of young people across Southern California each year.

Dance Arts Academy Foundation equips young people with the skills to thrive both inside and outside the classroom. Through arts education, students build confidence, improve social-emotional well-being, strengthen leadership skills, preserve cultural traditions, and develop a greater sense of belonging and identity. By investing in underserved communities, we are helping create healthier youth, stronger families, and more connected communities.

Far too many children in underserved and historically under-resourced communities lack access to quality arts education, creative expression, and leadership opportunities due to funding inequities and limited school resources. Your support helps bridge this gap by providing free and low-cost arts education, culturally responsive programming, scholarships, teaching artists, performance opportunities, and social-emotional learning experiences that empower young people to reach their full potential.
These are written to resonate with individual donors while also aligning with what funders like OCCF look for: a clear mission, compelling need, measurable impact, and community benefit.

Primary Service Area: Orange County, California
Additional Service Areas: Los Angeles County, California, Hawaii and New England

As Founder and Executive Director of Dance Arts Academy Foundation, my work is deeply personal. Dance gave me an outlet and a lit path forward as a young child who witnessed the impacts of violence, incarceration, and communities where hope often felt limited. The arts helped me feel seen, loved, and strong enough to keep going. They gave me resilience, identity, and the belief that my life had purpose. That is the heart of our mission. My team and I want to give the next generation that same gift: the opportunity to know they are somebody, that their voice matters, and that they are not forgotten. When young people hear the power of music and are activated to move, they begin to mobilize their confidence, creativity, and courage to make something meaningful of themselves in this world. Through dance, culture, and identity, we cultivate spaces where youth can heal, lead, belong, and imagine a future beyond their circumstances.

Dance Arts Academy Foundation exists because we believe talent is universal, but opportunity is not. As Board Chair, I am proud to help guide an organization that invests in young people through arts education, leadership, and wellness. Every contribution entrusted to DAAF helps create safe spaces where youth can grow in confidence, discover their potential, and become leaders in their communities. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure the next generation has the opportunities they deserve.