Susan Lerner

The Center for Traditional Music & Dance, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping immigrant communities sustain their unique performing arts traditions and fostering cross-cultural understanding by sharing these art forms citywide. The private company is based in New York, NY. The organization offers programs such as sustaining cultures community initiatives, arts education for youth, touring artists, and digital projects like the "Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online" video series. It supports diverse ethnic groups through workshops, performances, residencies, and cultural archives, emphasizing authenticity, cultural pride, and intergenerational transmission of traditions. Its archive documents over five decades of work with immigrant communities, preserving audio, video, and printed materials accessible to researchers and artists. The company was founded in 1968 by Ethel Raim.