Hands are for Holding®

Overview

Hands are for Holding® is a youth-centered arts education program that uses dance and movement to engage in conversations about healthy relationships.

Developed in 2014 in close partnership with Day One and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic & Gender-Based Violence, this program has reached over 40,000 young people, and over 200 schools and organizations across the nation.

Details and Booking

Youth Workshops

Each workshop session includes the following:

A live dance performance featuring professional dancers, followed by guided conversation.
Movement and dance activities to explore healthy relationships.
Resources for young people around teen dating violence and mental health.

Topics Explored

Boundaries
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships
Mental Health and Technology
Bullying and Cyberbullying

Program Structure

Can be offered as a Multi-Workshop series (up to 80 participants) or a One-off Workshop (up to 150 participants)
Appropriate for Grades 3 and up, tailored to the needs of distinct age groups.
Duration of sessions 45-60 minutes, available to be scheduled Mon-Fri between 9:00am-6:00pm.

To learn more, submit an interest form or give us a call to inquire about program details and pricing. We are committed to working with NYC schools to accommodate budgetary restraints whenever possible.

Professional Development Workshops

Each workshop session includes the following:

A live dance performance featuring professional dancers, followed by guided conversation.
Building shared language around healthy relationship topics.
Exploring methods for implementing SEL-focused embodied activities into practical contexts.
Offering everyday self-care tools applicable for young people and adults.
Sharing available resources and discussing strategies for supporting young people.

One-Off Workshop or Series

In person or virtual workshops available (up to 80 participants).
Duration of sessions 75-90 minutes, available to be scheduled Mon-Fri between 9:00am-6:00pm.
1-2 virtual planning meetings to customize the workshop plan for your community.

Book a Workshop

For more information or to bring the Hands are for Holding® program to your organization, click here.

Testimonials

“I discovered that I could use movement to express my emotions and let out all the stress or anxiety I had bottled up inside me.”

– Student Participant

“Thank you all so much for your support for our students and our community. We heard rave reviews from our staff who participated in the session and we appreciated your arts-focused approach to SEL .”

– Assistant Principal at Partner School

Media

Hands are for Holding® Partners

Local & National Schools and Organizations

Academy for Environmental Leadership 
A Call to Men
ACCION Academy 
Achievement First North Brooklyn Prep Middle School 
August Martin HS 
Baltimore County Public Schools 
Bard College 
Baruch College Campus High School 
Briarcliff High School 
Brighter Choice Community School 
Bronx Academy of Letters 
Bronx Bridges HS 
Bronx Dance Academy 
Bronx Leadership Academy 
Brooklyn Friends School
Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School 
Brooklyn High School for the Arts 
Brooklyn International High School 
Brooklyn School for Social Justice 
Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School 
Brownsville Academy High School 
Center for Anti-Violence Education (PACT) 
CES Regional Center for the Arts 
Channel View High School 
Children’s Aid 
Citywide Students in Temporary Housing Conference 
Coalition School for Social Change 
Columbia University 
Consulate General of Denmark: Citizen Sustainability Summit 
Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences 
Cypress Hills Community School PS 089 
Day One
Dos Puentes Elementary School 
DYCD Step It Up 
E.S.M.T. IS 190 
East Flatbush Research Community School 
Edward R. Murrow High School 
Ella Baker School 
ENDGBV + Queens FJC: Healthy Families Resource Fair 
Entrada Academy 
Essex Street Academy 
Fannie Lou Hamer Middle School 
Fordham Institute for Women and Girls Conference 
Fordham Leadership Academy 

Forsyth Satellite Academy High School 
Franklin Middle School 
Frederick Douglass Academy
Friends Seminary 
Grace Church School 
Gramercy Arts High School 
Great Oaks Charter School 
Hamilton Heights 
Harlem Village Academy 
Harvest Collegiate High School 
Harvey Milk High School 
Health Opportunities High School 
Herbert H. Lehman High School 
High School for Law, Advocacy, and Community Justice 
Hope’s Door Annual Teen Symposium 
Hunter College: NYSDEA 
International High School at Union Square
Intrepid Museum – GOALS Program 
IS 117 Joseph Wade 
IS 217 School of Performing Arts 
IS 228 David A Boody 
IS 281 Joseph B Cavallaro 
IS 291 Roland Hayes 
IS 392 
IS 584 
IS 61 Leonardo Da Vinci 
It Takes a Village Academy 
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School 
James Madison High School 
JHS 98 Herman Ridder
Kent Place School 
Khalil Gabran International 
Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School 
Lansdowne High School 
Lansdowne Middle School 
Life is Precious – Bronx 
Life Is Precious – Brooklyn 
Life is Precious – Queens 
Life is Precious – Washington Heights 
Lili’uokalani Trust 
Loch Raven Academy 
Lower Manhattan Academy of the Arts 
Lutheran Social Services of New York (Fortitude House) 
Lutheran Social Services of New York (Vanguard House) 
Lyons Community School 

Marie Curie High School 
Middle River Middle School
Middle School for Art and Philosophy (MS 588) Middle Village Prep School
M.S. M247 Dual Language Middle School 
MS 202 Robert H. Goddard
MS 210 Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School
MS 217 Robert Van Wyck
MS 258 Community Action School 
MS 301 Satellite East 
MS 328 
MS 340 North Star Academy 
MS 377 Renaissance School of the Arts 
MS 447 The Math & Science Exploratory School 
MS 53 New Heights Academy Charter School (ACDP COMPASS) 
New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science II (AMSII)
New York Presbyterian Hospital 
Nightingdale-Bamford School 
North Bronx School of Empowerment 
Northside Charter High School 
NYC Arts Office 
NYC DOE – Election Day PD (OSYD) 
NYCHA (Staten Island) 
One to World 
Orchard Collegiate Academy 
Pace High School
Peekskill Middle School 
Phipps Neighborhoods 
Pikesville Middle School 
Police Athletic League 
Poly Prep Professional Pathways High School 
PS 125 Ralph Bunche 
PS 140 The Eagle School 
PS 154 Jonathan D. Hyatt 
PS 163Q Flushing Heights 
PS 165 Ida Posner 
PS 165Q 
PS 169 Sunset Park School 
PS 188 The Island School PS 194 Countee Cullen 
PS 196 
PS 199 Frederick Wachtel School 
PS 2 The Alfred Zimberg School 
PS 201Q 
PS 202K 
PS 21 Crispus Attuck 
PS 239Q 
PS 298 
PS 299 Thomas Warren Field 
PS 306 The Ethan Allen Community School
PS 32 

PS 330Q 
PS 343 Peck Slip School
PS 38 Roberto Clemente Learning Complex
PS 463 Urban Scholars Community School 
PS 50 The Vito Marcantonio School 
PS 536 PS 54 Magnet School 
PS 56 The Lewis H. Latimer School 
PS 59 William Floyd 
PS 67 Charles A. Dorsey School 
PS 68Q 
PS 81Q 
PS 91Q 
PS 92 Bronx School 
PS 92Q The Harry T. Stewart School 
PS 94 Henry Longfellow PS 96 Global Kids 
PS/IS 171 Patrick Henry 
PS/IS 178Q The Holliswood School 
PS/IS 226 PS/IS 284 
PS/IS 686 Brooklyn School of Inquiry 
PS/MS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos PS/MS 194 
PS/MS 200 The Magnet School for Global Studies and Leadership 
PS/MS 5 The Port Morris School of Community Leadership 
Riverdale Avenue Middle School 
Russel Sage JHS 190 
Sanctuary for Families Benefit 
St Nicks Alliance The Green School 
Stemmers Run Middle School 
Storefront Academy Harlem 
Stuyvesant High School 
Success Academy Harlem East 
Summer Streets 
TAG Young Scholars School 
Talent Unlimited High School 
The Brearley School 
The Door 
The Door – Bronx Youth Center 
The Urban Assembly Unison School 
Tilden Educational Campus 
Townsend Harris High School 
University Neighborhood High School 
University Neighborhood Middle School 
William Cullen Bryant High School
Williamsburg Charter High School
Windsor Mill Middle School

Hands are for Holding® Support

Gibney’s Hands are for Holding® Program is generously supported by Hearts Port Washington, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, the New York City Council and Council Member Harvey Epstein, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and The Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund, Inc.

As of August 13, 2026.