The Bronx · New York, New York
Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center
Northeast Bronx anchor arts nonprofit founded 1978 by educator Madaha Kinsey-Lamb. 700+ students/year across dance, music, theater, voice and martial arts. Olinville Avenue facility serves the Northeast Bronx community Madaha originally had to leave to access arts education.
- Children's Dance
- Contemporary
- Cultural & Folk
How Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center comes across
Mind-Builders comes across less as a dance school than as a Northeast Bronx institution that happens to teach dance, and it tells that story plainly. Its history page anchors everything in founder Madaha Kinsey-Lamb, a former public-school teacher who in 1978 began with "just 3 modern dance classes for 45 students" because such classes weren't available in her Bronx neighborhood — a founding grievance that still seems to shape the mission "to inspire the growth of youth, families and the community." The breadth (dance alongside music, theater, martial arts, "Folk Culture" research, a Pre-K and "Fit4Life") reads as deliberate community infrastructure rather than menu-padding, reinforced by prominent financial aid, scholarships and a named alumni list including tap artist Ayodele Casel. The impression is of a place where access — "without regard to household income" — is treated as the point, not a perk, and where a child would be folded into a long-standing neighborhood fabric rather than a competition track.
An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.
About the school
Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center is a 48-year-old Bronx anchor arts nonprofit founded in 1978 by Madaha Kinsey-Lamb, a former public school teacher and educator. Mind-Builders was conceived when Kinsey-Lamb found herself traveling on the #2 train into Manhattan with her 4-year-old daughter for dance classes that were not available in her Bronx neighborhood. Starting in November 1978 with three modern dance classes for 45 students ages 4 to 14 in a rented Crawford Memorial Church room, the organization now serves 700+ students per year across dance, music, theater, voice and martial arts from its Olinville Avenue facility. Mind-Builders' new playground was opened in 2023 following two earlier City renovation projects.
At a glance
What stands out
- i.Founded 1978 by Madaha Kinsey-Lamb — 48-year Bronx institution
- ii.700+ students per year across dance, music, theater, voice, martial arts
- iii.Olinville Avenue facility with City-renovated playground (2023)
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