From ballet to Broadway dreams, AileyCamp Miami empowers students with movement, mentorship—and the stage of a lifetime.
MIAMI — While many kids spent the summer relaxing at home or scrolling through their phones, more than 100 middle school students from Miami-Dade County stepped into a different world—one filled with music, movement, and life-changing growth.
For six weeks, AileyCamp Miami, held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, became a second home to these students. Offering full scholarships, free meals, daily transportation, and even uniforms, the program has helped young people transform both as artists and individuals.
“It is really a program of the community,” said Jairo Ontiveros, the Arsht Center’s Vice President of Arts Education. “They get daily transportation to and from, breakfast, lunch, and all of their uniforms. And they perform on the stages of the Arsht.”
Founded in 2009 and modeled after Alvin Ailey’s national vision, AileyCamp Miami has served more than 1,600 students ages 11 to 14 since its inception. The camp’s curriculum includes jazz, ballet, West African dance, and personal development classes that encourage students to explore their identities and express themselves.
“It’s About Stretching Minds and Bodies”
“Every summer we welcome about 100 to 110 middle schoolers here from Miami-Dade County to experience six weeks of free summer programming,” Ontiveros explained. “We bus in students from all across the county, and really, it’s about them exploring who they are, stretching their minds, their bodies.”
But beyond choreography and technique, students discover courage, discipline, and confidence—skills that transcend the studio floor.
One camper said the program has helped her become “more social and speak openly,” while another shared: “It’s so amazing how we’re offered all these opportunities and we’re able to be with these amazing teachers and get better at our craft.”
From Camper to Broadway: Wesley Wray Returns to Inspire
Few embody the program’s power quite like 20-year-old Wesley Wray, who began his artistic journey at AileyCamp when he was just 12. Now, he’s performing in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Buena Vista Social Club, but he’s never forgotten his roots.
“When I was there, it was just treated with so much love,” Wray recalled. “That’s what cultivated me and inspired me to keep doing this—because of the love I was receiving.”
In 2023, Wesley returned not as a student but as a camp leader and teaching artist, mentoring the next generation of performers.
“Receiving the love back is something so special with the kids,” he said. “And they loved it. I was also learning with them. I think that’s what brought us together—the fact that I’m still learning too.”
Ontiveros described Wray as a beacon of possibility: “Wesley is that prime example of how a community can come together and really elevate and boost a young person into chasing their dreams.”
When asked who among them wanted to be on Broadway, a room full of campers shouted, “Me!” without hesitation.
A Grand Finale at the Arsht
The six-week program culminates in a spectacular showcase: a free public performance at the Knight Concert Hall at the Arsht Center. This year’s finale will take place on July 26, and for many of the students, it will be their first time on a professional stage.
“It’s their moment to shine,” Ontiveros said. “They’ve worked hard. They’ve grown. And they’ll walk off that stage knowing they’re capable of more than they ever imagined.”
AileyCamp Miami is more than just an arts program—it’s a launchpad for potential, a sanctuary of self-expression, and a celebration of what happens when a community invests in its youth.
For these Miami-Dade students, this summer has been more than a break from school. It’s been a bold step toward the future—danced one count at a time.