Now in its 7th year, National Dance Week-NYC (NDW-NYC), a yearly festival that advocates dance conditioning and wellness, will offer more than 100 FREE dance, fitness and wellness classes over the course of 10 days, starting June 17, 2011. The festival will commence with a flash mob in Union Square followed by a kickoff event at Union Bar on Wednesday, June 15. A culminating performance to celebrate NYC arts will take place at Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance on Sunday, June 26 and will feature presentations by American Tap Dance Foundation: Tap City Youth Ensemble, Aveia, Ballet Noir, Billy Elliot the Musical, COBU, Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn, Flamenco con Magdalena, The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory, and Marie-Christine Giordano Dance.
The New York City chapter of National Dance Week encourages everyone in the community to participate in dance at any level and in any capacity. Catering to New Yorkers' interests and the city's diverse arts community, the 10-days of dance events includes a variety of styles including latin, ballroom, tap, ballet, swing, hip-hop, aerial acrobatics and Zumba - a popular dance fitness craze. Participants can choose from a selection of studios and levels and events cater to all ages.
Studios throughout Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn will offer a sampling of dance classes. A schedule of studios, offerings and instructions can be found on NDW-NYC's website (*sponsoring studios): www.ndw-nyc.org/free-classes. Participating studios include: The Ailey Extension; American Tap Dance Foundation*; Astoria Fine Arts Dance*; Ballet Basics; Bridge for Dance: Brooklyn Ballet; Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn; Dance Manhattan; Dance New Amsterdam; Dhoonya Dance; Dokoudovsky New York Conservatory of Dance; Fit, Fab, and Sexy*; Fit, Fab, Teens; Flamenco con Magdalena; Forces of Nature Dance Theatre; Fred Astaire (West Side); The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory; Joffrey Ballet School*; Kat Wildish at The Ailey Extension; LA Dance; Mark Morris Dance Center; Marie-Christine Giordano Dance; Nika Ballet Studio; Peridance Capezio Center; Pushing Progress; The Queens Dance Project; Sandra Cameron Dance Center; STREB Extreme Action; Tropical Image NY; Yoga Works (Downtown).
2011 sponsors of NDW-NYC include National Dance Week, Fit-Engine, kd Dance, Capezio, Oriens Healing Sanctuary, SJE Productions, and Jenny Craig 14th Street NYC.
2011 partners include The Ailey Extension, Billy Elliot the Musical, Dance New Amsterdam and Peridance Capezio Center.
The organization also reaches out to peer leaders who are making efforts to keep dance and fitness alive within the five boroughs to be recognized as Front Runners in promoting the festival. A video interview with Front Runners can be found on NDW-NYC's YouTube channel. 2011 Front Runners include Kat Wildish, Marie-Christine Giordano, Astoria Fine Arts Dance, and Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn.
2011 Schedule
NDW-NYC Flash Mob
Date: Wednesday, June 15
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Union Square
What: Resident choreographer Michelle Robinson leads more than 20 dancers with a dance showcasing moves from 20's, 50's and current trends.
NDW-NYC Festival Kick-off Event
Date: Wednesday, June 15
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Union Bar, 204 Park Avenue between 16th and 17th Street
What: Drink specials, dance party, door prizes, raffle, and surprise performance
RSVP: http://www.venugo.com/?module=venueparty&id=134
NDW-NYC Festival Dance and Fitness Classes
Date: Friday, June 17 - Sunday, June 26
Locations and Schedule: Visit www.ndw-nyc.org/freeclasses
NDW-NYC Festival Culminating Performance
Date: Sunday, June 26
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance, 126 E 13th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues
Tickets: $14 Early Bird Special / $15 Advance / $20 At the Door
http://bit.ly/ndwnycperformance
A cocktail reception will follow the performance, co-sponsored by Peridance Capezio Center.
National Dance Week-NYC (NDW-NYC) collaborates with noted studios in New York City to celebrate the joy and diversity of dance with an exhilarating 10-day festival of FREE dance, fitness and wellness classes. The festival engages the community and families to experience dance, encouraging them to live active, healthy lifestyles. The organization moves beyond traditional dance forms to teach participants how all dance genres benefit mind, body and spirit. Part of the nationwide National Dance Week, the festival is held in June at a variety of venues throughout New York City and serves hundreds. Additionally, throughout the year NDW-NYC promotes dance studios and companies through their newsletter, projects, dance/fitness events and partnerships.Tasha Norman founded the New York Chapter in 2005. Nearly 25 local studios partner with the organization each year to increase public awareness. The festival receives recognition from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Borough Presidents Adolfo Carrion, Jr. (Bronx), Marty Markowitz (Brooklyn) and C. Virginia Fields (Manhattan).
