Accent Dance NYC to Offer Free Juneteenth Dance Event In The Bronx

Accent Dance NYC, a non-profit organization that promotes multiculturalism and community through dance education and concert performance, has announced a FREE Juneteenth Community Student Showcase event, Monday, June 12 at The Bronx High School of Science. The event will bring together students from Accent Dance NYC partner schools, including PS 55X, HS225X Theater Arts Production Company School, and New Rochelle High School, to showcase what they have learned and created during their 2022/23 school residencies.

Accent Dance NYC nurtures the next generation of thinkers through dance-centric programs, residencies, and lecture demonstrations, utilizing the extraordinary talents and collaboration of multicultural and multidisciplinary performance and teaching artists. Following a year of growth and exploration through movement, the evening will feature contemporary dance, hip hop, and African dance, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of over 60 students who reside across the Bronx and Westchester. In addition, Accent Dance NYC's professional company will present works, including a Juneteenth solo by Haitian hip hop Artist Steven Vilsaint (Wyclef Jean, Lil Kim), a Hispanic folklore solo by Colombian dancer Elisa-Toro Franky (New Jersey Ballet, FJK Dance, Dardo Galletto Dance, Christopher Caines Dance), multi-disciplinary duets, and an African dance and drumming segment led by Accent Dance NYC's artist Falosha Martin.

"We are thrilled to bring together students from our partner schools to celebrate Juneteenth and showcase the talent and creativity that has been nurtured through our school residencies," explains Andrea Ziegelman, founder, and director of Accent Dance NYC. "This event is an opportunity to honor our community's culture and inspire the next generation of artists and leaders."

The evening will also feature a special tribute to CEO/President Melissa Libran of Windows of Hip Hop for her service and commitment to arts education. I am honored to be recognized by Accent Dance NYC for my work in arts education," said Melissa Libran. "It is through the arts and through Hip Hop that we can teach our youth about their culture,  inspire them to dream big, and achieve great things."

PROGRAM DETAILS

Accent Dance NYC's all-ages Community Dance Student Showcase will take place at 6:30 p.m., Monday, June 12 at The Bronx High School of Science, located at 75 West 205th Street.

Admission is FREE and reservations are not required.

ABOUT ACCENT DANCE NYC

Accent Dance NYC is committed to bringing dance education and professional performance initiatives to the children and families of New York City's five boroughs and neighboring areas. Through a unique collaboration, a team of multidisciplinary, multicultural artists have built a dance-based educational curriculum as well as created professional performances that champion diversity, connect communities, and celebrate a common human bond.  Accent Dance NYC's top-tier performers and teachers are building bridges through the universal mediums of movement and music while bolstering cognitive skills, discipline, learning and communication among the children, families, and audiences they serve.  In its inaugural year, Accent Dance reached over 9,000 school-aged children with its dance programming, impacting the younger generation to move, dance, and dream.