Battery Dance Presents Latin Voices in Dance in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month

Battery Dance has announced Battery Dance Festival +, an extension of its annual summer festival that went virtual for the first time in August attracting nearly 30,000 viewers in its 39th year. Battery Dance Festival + will become a regular feature, showcasing free virtual performances by prior Festival participants within geographic and cultural themes. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month and following a vibrant series of interviews, a tango competition, classes and performances with Latin dancers, choreographers, teachers and cultural entrepreneurs, Battery Dance Festival + will present an hour of performances by dancers from Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Spain on Friday, October 16th at 7pm EDT on YouTube.com. The virtual performances will be available to watch 10 days after the premiere and will expire October 26 EDT. Registration is free and open to the public at https://www.classy.org/event/battery-dance-festival-latin-voices-in-dance/e303366. For more information, visit https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/latin-voices-in-dance/.

Established in 1982, the Battery Dance Festival (BDF) is New York City's longest-running free public dance festival and one of its most wide-ranging. "We are so grateful for the outpouring of audience support and sponsorships, the participation of artists from 19 countries and the partnership of our host, Battery Park City Authority, that allowed for New York City's first live-filmed performances since the pandemic forced the closing of theaters and the prohibition against large gatherings in March. I am thrilled to continue the celebration of dance this month, recognizing the vibrancy of Latin culture in dance and launching Battery Dance Festival +," said Battery Dance founder and Artistic Director Jonathan Hollander.

Performing artists of the Latin Voices in Dance finale on October 16th include 2018 and 2019 Battery Dance Festival participants Ballet Nepantla from Mexico and the U.S., with excerpts from Sin Fronteras. The company was founded by Andrea Guajardo and Martín Rodríguez, two artists whose early professional identities emerged from distinct genres: Andrea from classical ballet and contemporary dance and Martin from traditional Mexican folklórico. They envisioned a new form of expression that fused the two modalities and an aesthetic that would speak to the historical, cultural, and social realities of a broader narrative of being Mexican, Mexican-American, immigrant, and trans-cultural.

Compañía Nacional De Danza Contemporánea de República Dominicanaexhilarated Battery Dance Festival audiences in 2017 with Yo, desaparezco after having collaborated with Battery Dance in Santo Domingo on a U.S. State Department Tour the year prior. CNDC was founded in 2010 by Marianela Boán with the goal of encouraging the proliferation of contemporary dance in the Dominican Republic. Boán has worked in more than forty countries across the globe, creating more than 50 choreographic works, and has received numerous choreographic awards during her career and CNDC has already headlined at major international and local festivals.

Daniel Fetecua Soto, a Colombian-born dancer who has been working in the U.S. for the past 14 years, presents Pace Nel Mio Cuore, recorded in a magnificent rural setting during the pandemic. Fetecua, a 10-year veteran of the Limón Dance Company, holds a BFA from Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen, Germany, and has appeared as guest artist in Pina Bausch's masterpieces, Rite of Spring and

Tannhäuser. Fetecua has also worked with La Fura Dels Baus, Kuo Chu Wu, and won a salsa award in the European Salsa Championship in 2004. He is founder and artistic director of Pajarillo Pinta'o, a dance company that combines Colombian Folklore and Modern Dance, based in New York and Germany. He is currently guest choreographer and board member of ID Studio Theater, a not-for-profit organization led by German Jaramillo.

Iker Karrera Dance Company from Spain performs #7fm, reprised from the 2018 Battery Dance Festival. Founder and Artistic Director Iker Karrera is a graduate of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. He incorporated the dance company in 2015 with the goal of exposing and infusing contemporary Madrilenian aesthetic fused with urban flair. Karrera danced for celebrities such as Céline Dion and appeared in T.V shows such as the X Factor in France, and Fama a Bailar in Spain. #7fm, was awarded 1st prize by the III Choreographic Competition DanzaXtrema, received the Audience Award by the IV Choreographic Contest of the District of Tetuán, the Choreographic Recognition award by the Festival Cuerpo Romo, and was a finalist at the 30th Choreographic Competition of Madrid.

Leah Barsky and Cristian Correa performed in the 2019 Battery Dance Festival at the tail end of a national U.S. tour. They riveted the audience with their partnership, seen here in Verano Porteño. Having met and formed a celebrated duo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, they have performed in such renowned tango shows as Esquina Carlos Gardel, Tango Porteño, El Querandi Tango, where Correa serves as director and choreographer, and Hotel Faena's Rojo Tango. Together they have performed and taught at international festivals throughout Europe, South and North America and took first place in stage tango in the 2018 Danza tu Danza International Championships in Cordoba, Argentina. Barsky, born in Germany, grew up in New York where she became a cross-disciplinary performer, proficient in classical ballet, and contemporary dance, as well as in tango. Correa hails from Cordoba where he learned Argentine Folk dance, tango and classical ballet at the Teatro General San Martin. He has created, directed and produced two full-length productions: Carmen, A Tango Story and SynopsisTango which premiered at the Metropolitan Citi Theater in Buenos Aires.

Tango Competition

Join Battery Dance in celebrating Argentine Tango by participating in a community Tango Competition. Winner(s) will receive a private lesson and will be featured during a live zoom class and performance on October 15th at 4pm EDT. The winner will also be featured on Battery Dance's social media and receive a 1-hour private lesson from Battery Dance member and ballroom champ Razvan Stoian. For more information, visit https://batterydance.org/dancetv/argentine-tango-competition/.

To see interviews, classes, and short performances by Latin artists and leaders, visit: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZM6uyegeyWzMz9klXKGGfNfCiF394Vy1