Celebrities Swing the Spotlight Toward Arts Education

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo

Charlottesville, Va.

It took just seconds for the legendary dancer Jacques d'Amboise to grab the attention of hundreds of 4th and 5th graders here last week. And all but the most reluctant students and teachers soon were bouncing and leaning to and fro in dramatic fashion, just as he had instructed them.

It wasn't Mr. d'Amboise's celebrity status that coaxed these children to their feet to learn his "Trail Dance," for few were aware of the worldwide fame he achieved as a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet a quarter of a century ago. It was his enthusiasm and passion for dance that mobilized more than 400 rambunctious dancers to move in sync for an hourlong lesson at the University of Virginia.

Arts education has consumed the dancer for more than two decades. This year, that fervor has taken him on a seven-month hike from Maine to Georgia along the Appalachian Trail to promote the arts and to raise money for the institute he started to expose New York City children to dance. Mr. d'Amboise left Maine in May and has 37 stops...