Harkness Dance Center set to expand thanks to a $5 million gift

The gift will help create new studio space, which will be named for Jody Arnhold, who is also the founder of the Dance Education Laboratory there.

Arnhold said the donation was motivated by her affection and respect for the 92nd Street Y, especially with regard to its place in dance history. Modern dance in New York, she said, started at the 92nd Street Y. “In the ’30s there was no place else to see modern dance and a small cadre of people came to the Y to watch Martha Graham and those early dance pioneers who created the dance form,” she said.

Arnhold also cited education as a reason for her gift. “Probably 3,000 dance artists and educators have come to the Dance Education Laboratory and today there are close to 500 dance teachers in New York City Public Schools,” she said in an interview.

Laurence Belfer, chairman of the board at the 92nd Street Y, said, “To have Jody as a partner with us, to think through what the physical space should look like at the Y and who should populate it for the 21st century is a real gift, not just of money but also of talent and resources that we plan to put to good use.”

This spring the Harkness Dance Center is contributing to the celebration of Merce Cunningham’s centennial with performances and other events. Through Saturday, the center is hosting Ellen Cornfield, an alumna of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, whose company will perform two repertory works and “Portal,” a new piece.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.