Broadway dancer Corey John Snide has an international career in dance.

“I always knew I was going to come back. I just thought it would be when I was 65, and the pandemic sort of brought me here with no choice and I figured, why wait?” said Snide, co-founder of the Capital District Arts Initiative.

Growing up in the Capital Region, Corey and his sister Jenna have been dancing their entire lives. But they’re passionate about more than just fancy footwork. Their hearts lie in teaching the next generation and making one of the most expensive activities more affordable.

“When we opened up our studio, we wanted to make sure that we were making dance and theatre and all of the arts affordable for people,” Jenna said. “Because not everyone has the money, and a lot of people love the arts, and we think it’s important to have that in people’s lives.”

The sibling duo founded the Capital District Arts Initiative at the start of the pandemic. At their studio in Troy, you’ll find people of all ages taking classes from toddler to adult.

The program strives to limit the overly competitive culture dance has and focus on what’s important: teaching.

“I love it. I love that everybody here cares for each other and that you can just show your emotions and you can be whoever you want to be and won’t get judged,” said Rory, a dance student at the program.

By this summer, they want to expand their classes to music and theatre.

“We need the arts in our lives, and we really want to bring a more inclusive a more collaborative idea into the Capital Region, because it is very much not inclusive right now,” Jenna said.

Eventually, the Capital District Arts Initiative wants to start a scholarship program for kids as well as make their classes accessible for people with disabilities.