Fund Nicholas Young's Vision for Dance Space

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Fellow Lovers of the Arts,

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my GoFundMe page. My name is Nicholas Young—a lifelong tap dancer, choreographer, musician, and educator. I began performing professionally at the age of 15 with Tapestry Dance Company under the mentorship of Acia Gray and Deirdre Strand. Those formative years instilled in me discipline, creativity, and reverence for community over competition. Through my mentor, I was welcomed into what felt like a secret village of tap’s founders and innovators—artists who shaped both my craft and my outlook on the transformative power of art.

After relocating to New York City, I taught at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center, toured internationally as a master teacher, and performed with STOMP for 10 years, playing five roles and serving as rehearsal director. Later, I became a founding member of Dorrance Dance, collaborating with Michelle Dorrance on six productions over a decade of worldwide touring.

The Vision

For nearly 20 years, I’ve carried a dream: to create a dedicated home for tap dance and the rhythmic arts. The pandemic, which shuttered countless arts institutions and scattered communities, only underscored the urgency of this vision. Tap dancers need a place to gather, create, teach, and innovate—a place that honors tradition while embracing new voices.

This dream has now taken shape as the Rhythmic Arts Center NYC (RAC), located in a modest but vibrant ground-floor storefront in Manhattan. Every detail is designed with percussive dance in mind:

A handcrafted maple sprung floor (designed after Brenda Bufalino’s Woodpeckers Studio) that dancers have already called one of the best in NYC.

A robust sound system, instruments and backline for rehearsals, and professional streaming equipment for classes and content creation.

An exposed 19th-century brick wall that doubles as a striking backdrop for film and photography.

Amenities that make the space accessible and functional: water cooler, bathroom and dressing room, high-speed internet, and a 14-channel mixer for top-quality audio.

This is not just another studio—it’s the only space in New York designed specifically for the rhythmic arts, and it’s offered at an accessible price point to ensure inclusivity.

Our Programming

RAC will host weekly classes in tap dance and body percussion, while also expanding into:

Sound healing, sound baths, and meditation practices

African dance and drumming, salsa, and Afro-Caribbean traditions

Pop-up classes and master classes from touring artists

An experimental black box environment for artists to test new works

In short, RAC will be both a home and a launchpad—uplifting artists, preserving history, and cultivating connection across communities.

Why Your Support Matters

Tap dance is not only America’s dance form—it is a living history of resistance, resilience, and creativity. It predates jazz and swing, and its rhythms carry the heartbeat of our shared cultural story. By supporting this space, you are directly contributing to the preservation and growth of this legacy.

Your donations will help secure RAC’s future and sustain the work of countless NYC-based artists. Immediate needs include:

Rent and utilities, so we can focus on building community

Replacing the awning with our own name and logo

Furnishings, lighting, and seating for our performance series

Administrative support for outreach, promotion, and grants

Closing

I was raised in a studio that was more than just a place to dance—it was a vision, a tapestry of philosophies that celebrated rhythm as connection and art as service. With RAC, I am committed to carrying that spirit forward: to give, to uplift, to share, and to serve.

Thank you for your time, generosity, and belief in this mission. As my teacher always said:

Love, Light, and Rhythm,

Nicholas Van Young