Legacy Institution Feature

Dance Institute of Washington: How One Man's Vision Built a Movement That Has Transformed 44,000 Lives

From a six-week summer program in 1987 to the leading minority-led dance equity organization in the nation's capital — the Dance Institute of Washington proves that dance can heal communities, launch careers, and redefine what equity looks like in the arts.

By Dance Mogul Magazine Staff  |  Updated May 2026  |  Reading Time: 10 min

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[Featured Image: Dance Institute of Washington students performing at the Kennedy Center — Photo courtesy of DIW]

There are institutions that teach dance, and then there are institutions that use dance to change the trajectory of entire communities. The Dance Institute of Washington (DIW) belongs firmly in the second category. Founded in 1987 by the late Fabian Barnes, a former soloist with the legendary Dance Theatre of Harlem, DIW has spent nearly four decades proving that world-class ballet training and holistic youth development are not luxuries reserved for the privileged — they are tools of empowerment that every child deserves.

Operating from its flagship studio in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., DIW has served more than 44,000 students since its founding. The numbers tell part of the story: a 95% high school graduation rate among students, alumni dancing professionally with companies like the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, graduates continuing their studies at institutions including Harvard and Temple University. But the heart of DIW cannot be measured in statistics alone. It lives in the discipline a young dancer discovers in a ballet barre, in the mentorship that transforms a child's sense of possibility, and in the community that gathers every year for DIW's beloved Spirit of Kwanzaa performances.

At Dance Mogul Magazine, we believe deeply that every dance style and institution that elevates our communities deserves recognition. The Dance Institute of Washington is one of the most important stories in American dance — and it is time the world knows every chapter.

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The Founder

Fabian Barnes (1959–2016): The Man Who Gave Everything to Dance

Fabian Barnes was born on May 11, 1959, in Seattle, Washington. He discovered dance at age 11 when he followed his older brother into a dance class — a moment that would shape the rest of his life. Studying under the direction of Virginia Corkle, Barnes was made an apprentice to the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company at just 16 years old.

In 1979, at age 19, Barnes joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) as an apprentice and quickly rose to the rank of soloist. During his 15 years with DTH, he performed across much of the company's repertoire and toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. It was Arthur Mitchell — the first African-American principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and founder of DTH — who instilled in Barnes the belief that artistry must serve community.

During a summer break from DTH in 1987, Barnes returned to Washington, D.C., and launched what would become the Dance Institute of Washington. What started as a six-week training session and performance showcase for local youth became the seed of something much larger. Barnes organized community workshops at recreation centers across D.C., began outreach programs for hearing-impaired students at Gallaudet University, and worked tirelessly to bring professional-level dance education to neighborhoods that had never seen it.

In 1996, at age 37, Barnes retired from performing with DTH to devote himself full-time to DIW. The transition from celebrated soloist to institution-builder was not easy. In a 1995 Washington Post profile, Barnes acknowledged the challenge of navigating budget cuts and government funding reductions, but his resolve was unwavering. He built DIW from a modest summer program into a full-time dance academy with its own building in Columbia Heights — a feat that leaders of far larger dance institutions publicly admired.

In 2002, he founded Washington Reflections Dance Company, a professional ensemble of dancers and choreographers. By that time, DIW's enrollment had grown to over 600 students during the school year and nearly 1,000 during the summer.

Fabian Barnes passed away unexpectedly on April 8, 2016, at the age of 56. The dance community mourned deeply, but his legacy — built into the walls, the programs, and the lives of thousands of students — endures. The DIW campus now includes the Fabian Barnes Black Box Theater, named in his honor, which hosts masterclasses, student performances, and community events reaching over 6,000 audience members annually.

[Image: Fabian Barnes performing with the Dance Theatre of Harlem — Photo courtesy of DIW]

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Awards & Recognition

A Timeline of Excellence

The Dance Institute of Washington's impact has been recognized at every level — from the White House to the national arts community. Here is a timeline of the major milestones that mark DIW's journey:

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Leadership Today

Kahina Haynes: Architect of DIW's Next Chapter

When Fabian Barnes passed in 2016, the Dance Institute of Washington faced its most pivotal moment. The person chosen to carry the mission forward was Kahina Haynes — a native Washingtonian whose own life story mirrors the intersection of dance, scholarship, and social transformation that DIW represents.

Haynes grew up studying ballet, tap, and jazz in D.C., training at the prestigious Maryland Youth Ballet and attending programs at the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. As a professional dancer, she performed with Miami City Ballet and Ballet Nacional de Costa Rica. She earned her B.A. from Princeton University (with a minor in African American Studies and a concentration in Dance) and an M.Sc. from Oxford University in Evidence-Based Social Intervention.

Before joining DIW, Haynes built an extraordinary career in organizational development and global social policy. She worked at the United Nations (Bureau for Development Policy at UNDP), the World Bank Group, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and the U.S. Department of State. She is also a Fulbright Scholar.

Under Haynes's leadership, DIW has undergone a strategic revitalization that includes radical new program designs, the historic congressional funding appropriation, and a multi-year facilities renovation. She was appointed to The President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition from 2023 to 2025, further elevating DIW's national profile.

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Programs & Training

The DIW Barnes Method: Where World-Class Training Meets Holistic Development

What sets the Dance Institute of Washington apart from virtually every other dance school in the country is its DIW Barnes Method — a holistic training model that addresses the full spectrum of a young dancer's needs. DIW does not simply teach technique; it cultivates leaders.

The school offers pre-professional training in classical ballet, modern, African, hip-hop, and other genres for students ages 2.5 to 22. Programs are organized into progressive divisions that guide students from introduction through pre-professional mastery. Eighty percent of students receive full or partial scholarships, removing the financial barriers that have historically excluded talented young dancers from communities of color.

The Four Pillars: DIW's "Vitamins"

DIW's holistic support system, known as the "Vitamins," is built around four pillars designed to ensure every student has the tools and resilience to thrive both on and off the stage:

Power Hour™ — Academic enrichment and tutoring support to ensure dancers maintain strong educational foundations alongside their training.

FullOUT™ — A fast-paced program blending classical ballet and hip-hop fundamentals to maximize technique and artistry for dancers ages 9 and up.

Energy Barre™ — Dance health, nutrition, and physical therapy support that treats the whole dancer, not just their performance output.

Positive Pathways™ — Career development, mentoring, college tours, and workforce readiness training to prepare students for life after the studio.

Community Programming

Beyond its school, DIW operates Community on 14th — an incubator series that brings world-class masterclasses, networking events, and career development workshops to the broader D.C. dance community. Recent sessions have featured hip-hop technique with Nia Lonette, open masterclasses with Anthony Burrell, and contemporary ballet barre and repertoire with Daniel Moore.

DIW performs multiple times annually at the Kennedy Center and THEARC, as well as at venues and festivals throughout the region and country. The annual Spirit of Kwanzaa production, held at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, has become a cherished D.C. cultural tradition.

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Cultural Impact

Why the Dance Institute of Washington Matters — Now More Than Ever

The story of the Dance Institute of Washington is inseparable from the larger story of race, equity, and access in American dance. The classical ballet world has long been defined by exclusion — economic, racial, and geographic. For decades, the pipeline to professional ballet companies ran through a handful of expensive conservatories and private academies, overwhelmingly located in affluent communities.

DIW exists to disrupt that pipeline. By embedding itself in a historically underserved neighborhood and building a model that wraps academic support, nutrition, career development, and physical therapy around rigorous dance training, DIW has proven that the barrier to excellence was never talent — it was access.

The results speak for themselves. DIW graduates have joined companies including the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Charlotte Ballet, and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Others have continued their education at top universities and conservatories. But perhaps more importantly, 95% of DIW students graduate high school — in a city where the graduation rate for students from comparable backgrounds has historically been far lower.

In an era when arts funding is under constant threat and conversations about diversity in dance too often remain performative, DIW offers a working model of what genuine equity looks like. It is not a program. It is an ecosystem — one that Fabian Barnes started building in 1987 and that Kahina Haynes continues to expand with every new season.

Dance Mogul Magazine's own mission — inspiring self-empowerment and building community through dance — finds a kindred spirit in the work of DIW. The principles that guide this magazine are the same principles that Fabian Barnes poured into every class, every mentoring session, and every performance: that dance is not entertainment alone, but a vehicle for discipline, confidence, cultural preservation, and lifelong achievement.

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Essential Information

Dance Institute of Washington — At a Glance

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Get Involved

How to Support the Dance Institute of Washington

Whether you are a dancer, parent, educator, philanthropist, or simply someone who believes in the power of the arts to transform lives, there are many ways to support DIW's mission:

Enroll a Student — DIW offers programs for children as young as 2.5 years old, with generous scholarship support for families who need it.

Donate — Financial contributions directly support scholarships, facility improvements, and holistic student services.

Attend Performances — From the annual Spirit of Kwanzaa to summer performances at Hillwood Estate and the Kennedy Center, attending shows supports the students and grows the audience for equity in dance.

Book DIW Dancers — DIW's talented student and professional dancers are available for events, festivals, and community programming.

Spread the Word — Share this article, follow DIW on social media, and help tell the story of what is possible when dance and equity meet.

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Dance Mogul Magazine's Commitment

Preserving the Story, Honoring the Legacy

Dance Mogul Magazine first featured the Dance Institute of Washington in our June 2012 issue, when we recognized DIW as a vital bridge between street dance culture and the contemporary arts. More than a decade later, we are proud to present this comprehensive, updated profile — because institutions like DIW deserve coverage that matches the depth of their impact.

Our original 2012 feature noted our mission to "merge the Underground Dance with Mainstream/Contemporary" and described DIW as the best of what the contemporary form of the arts has to offer. That assessment was true then, and it is even more true today. Under Kahina Haynes's visionary leadership, DIW has expanded its programming, secured historic funding, and deepened its holistic approach in ways that Fabian Barnes would be proud of.

At Dance Mogul Magazine, we exist to ensure that the stories of dance institutions, artists, and communities are told with the depth and respect they deserve. The Dance Institute of Washington is not just a school. It is a testament to what happens when one person decides that every child — regardless of background, income, or zip code — deserves the chance to discover who they are through movement.

Explore more stories like this in our Exclusive Interviews section, and visit our Dance Knowledge Hub for comprehensive resources across every dance style and discipline.

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Tags: Dance Institute of Washington, Fabian Barnes, Kahina Haynes, DIW, Black dance institutions, dance equity, ballet education, Washington DC dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, youth dance programs, Kennedy Center performances, community dance programs, diversity in ballet, arts education, dance scholarships

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