Creativity Continues All Month Long From Accent Dance Through Free Performance, Advocacy And Conversation

Accent Dance NYC, a collaborative of International Artists dedicated to exploring the artistic, cultural, and humanistic connections among people through diverse dance styles, is keeping dance and arts education in the spotlight all month long despite the national continued closures of studios, theaters, and in-person arts education programming.

From an evening on local TV with an important panel discussion on arts advocacy with industry leaders on August 10, to a celebration of the great salsa singer Héctor Lavoe on August 15, an encore Facebook watch party on August 20, and a world premiere during the virtual Battery Dance Festival on August 22, Accent Dance NYC continues to pave the way for equity in dance and arts education, championing culture, diversity and education for all.

On Monday, August 10 at 7:00 p.m., BronxNet TV features Accent Dance NYC in An Evening of Advocacy-an hour-long television event that speaks to the charitable organization's educational work and advocacy for open and equitable access to the arts . The evening is led by Mr. Luis Torres, principal of PS 55 in the Bronx who is leading the charge in creating an equitable learning environment for students in underserved communities. The evening also features archival footage of past professional and student performances, interviews with Accent Dance NYC teaching artists and students, and a look into the educational partnerships the organization continues to foster. The evening will close with a panel discussion led by impactful arts educators including Elisa Toro Franky, Accent Dance NYC's co-Program Director and lead teaching artist, Terry Greiss, Executive Director of the Irondale Ensemble Project, Kat Rodriguez, Director of the Instrumental Department at Young at Arts, and Principal Luis Torres. The panel discusses the importance of the arts in the lives of children, the future of arts education in the face of uncertainty for the new school year, and the ways to combat the educational inequities encountered by communities across the City. The broadcast will be available on BronxNet TV, Optimum channel 70 and Fios 2136, as well as online at BronxNet.tv, worldwide.

On August 15 at 8:00 p.m., Ms. Toro-Franky will perform live at the Bronx Music Heritage Center in Bronx Rising!: Los Cantantes: A Tribute to Héctor Lavoe & Ruben Blades- an evening live-streamed to celebrate the legacy of the great salsa singer Héctor Lavoe and fellow artist Rubén Blades. Premiering a solo, De ti Depende, followed by interview footage with Lavoe's bandmates, Eddie Montalvo, Gilberto Colón, and Mike Amadeo, Accent Dance NYC also will show footage from an ensemble piece choreographed by Ms. Toro Franky, Héctor, which first premiered in September 2019 celebrating the life, work and spiritual essence of Héctor Lavoe. The evening will stream free-of-charge on the Bronx Music Heritage Facebook page @bxmusic (https://www.facebook.com/bxmusic).

Next up, Accent Dance NYC invites viewers to a lunchtime watch party on its Facebook page, @AccentDanceNYC (https://www.facebook.com/AccentDanceNYC) on August 20 at 1:00 pm for an encore presentation of An Afternoon of Cultural Convergence, originally presented by the Jefferson Historical Society last month to the communities of Schoharie County, New York. A virtual program of dance to celebrate culture, diversity, and unity in uncertain times, the program showcases the versatile talents of the Accent Dance NYC ensemble while building cultural bridges among collaborators through movement and music, purposefully juxtaposing elements of ballet, contemporary dance, salsa, tango, martial arts, hip hop, and featuring a global children's dance video, and more. The afternoon will stream free of charge.

To round out the month of August, Accent Dance NYC celebrates the world premiere of Naranjo en Flor, a dance film choreographed by Dardo Galletto, performed by Elisa Toro Franky, and accompanied by singer-guitarist-father-daughter team Lucia and Ron Jackson on the closing evening of the Battery Dance Festival, August 22, at 7:00 p.m. The entire Battery Dance Festival, August 14-22, will stream each evening of the festival on Battery Dance's YouTube channel, free of charge.

"As dancers and educators, we are trained to be versatile and inventive in the studio, on stage, and in the classroom. Now as artistic and educational leaders, we have to embrace the challenges of the current time and continue to create and inspire by using all innovative means and resources available to us," explains Andrea Ziegelman, Founder and Director of Accent Dance NYC. "We have had to reimagine the way dance, art, and arts education can survive in the face of closures and global health concerns and are so pleased to have fostered these wonderful platforms to share our work with the world over this next month."

STREAMING SCHEDULE AND LOCATIONS

Monday, August 10, 7:00p.m.: An Evening of Advocacy

BronxNet TV, Optimum channel 70 and Fios 2136, https://www.bronxnet.org/watch/

Saturday, August 15, 8:00 p.m.: Bronx Rising!: Los Cantantes: A Tribute to Héctor Lavoe & Ruben Blades

Facebook LIVE, https://www.facebook.com/bxmusic/

Thursday, August 20, 1:00 p.m.: An Afternoon of Cultural Convergence

Facebook LIVE, https://www.facebook.com/AccentDanceNYC

Saturday, August 22, 7:00 p.m.: Naranjo en Flor at the Battery Dance Festival

https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/tribute-to-nyc/