In the sweltering summer months, outdoor dance performances pop up all over town, from Battery Park to Central Park and beyond. But one element that tends not to be on offer are workshops and classes that allow audiences active participation. The exception is the Downtown Dance Festival, a 26-year-old festival that begins this Monday at noon on Chase Plaza.

Known for a colorful palate of dance styles, the festival is organized by the founder and artistic director of the Battery Dance Company, Jonathan Hollander. For the past year, Mr. Hollander has been working with members of his company to add classes and workshops to this year’s festival. “We wanted to try out an aspect of what has classically been a performance festival and move it a little bit into the realm of education,” Mr. Hollander, whose company has led arts-in-education projects in local public schools for more than 20 years, said. “This is something New York City needs, particularly at the end of summer when families with less funds don’t have the option to go out of town.”

The festival’s mission is an extension of the company’s goal to make dance accessible to all. Indeed, the free festival typically attracts audiences as varied as its acts. Bike messengers, workers on scaffolding, and dance fans alike stop and watch the work of 19 companies. The festival features dance styles from Indian Manipuri, to a fusion of house and West African, to classical ballet.

The one population group whose appearances have been strikingly scarce, though, is that of young people, according to the education director of Battery Dance Company Tadej Brdnik. “I noticed that the timing and place were such that not a lot of teenagers, young kids, or families were involved during the week,” Mr. Brdnik said. “I started looking for opportunities to blend the audience and performer line more, so that it would be more interesting for young people and they would not just be spectators, but also part of the festival as performers.”

Mr. Brdnik’s goal was to create a free two-week workshop wherein participants would watch performances of varying styles, then learn about their histories and techniques. What the company is able to offer this year is more direct: Every day, one of the performing companies will teach segments of their work in classes after their performance.

Kids and young adults, starting at age 10, will have the opportunity to try house and African dance on Monday with Vissi Dance Theater. On Tuesday, the focus shifts to ballet — with emphasis on boys — in a class led by Christopher Caines. Then during the rest of the week, teachers will instruct students in Battery Dance’s own style, West African, Indian Manipuri with Darshana Jhaveri, and more.

“The parts that the companies are teaching are based on accessibility, so the kids don’t have to be phenomenal dancers already,” Mr. Brdnik said. “We want to give them a different perspective and allow them to feel that they are a little bit more than just someone watching performances.”

Mr. Brdnik has contacted several summer programs for children — both dance- and non-dance related — to guarantee attendance including summer school programs he has worked with in the past such as Washington Irving High School in Manhattan and Millennium High School in Brooklyn. Passersby are also welcome. Those under age 10 will receive special assistance from volunteers, and those closer to middle age are also guaranteed a spot on stage.

“If we have a problem and have too many kids, that’s a good problem to have. We’ll just have them work in groups,” Mr. Brdnik said. “This is a stepping stone for next year, when we will try to get funding for the full workshop.”