Center For Traditional Music and Dance to Premiere BEAT OF THE BOROUGHS: NYC Online, November 16

Celebrating the diversity of cultural traditions in New York City, the Center for Traditional Music and Dance (CTMD) will launch an online series, Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online, on Monday, November 16, to highlight the artistry of 54 of the City's leading immigrant performers from around the world.

The artists-including several National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Award winners-represent the strength and diversity of the cultural sector in the City's five boroughs, with traditions hailing from Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Gambia, Haiti, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, Ukraine, and West Africa, among other areas.

"New York City's traditional and folk artists have been particularly impacted by both the pandemic and the anti-immigrant political climate in our country. Amid the pandemic, many of these artists have structural impediments including the digital divide and language barriers to access federal relief funds or private sources of funding. Now more than ever we need to support these artists, who have suffered losses because of canceled concerts, performances, exhibitions, and other events," said Peter Rushefsky, Executive Director of CTMD. "It is imperative that we come together as a city to support and celebrate our immigrant communities, and Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online will showcase the immense talents of our artists and further the public's understanding and appreciation of their work during these trying times."

Organizers hope the series will build more support for the artists and for CTMD, particularly as the nonprofit continues to highlight the artistic diversity within New York City, where millions of Americans can trace their immigrant ancestors. CTMD encourages donations at https://ctmd.org/donate/.

The series is presenting up-close profiles of the life and arts of leading artists, including:

• Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba and Plena dancer and educator Julia Gutiérrez-Rivera (Los Pleneros de la 21 and Redobles de Cultura) and friends in the Bronx

• Renowned Indian Kuchipudi dancer and dance prodigy Yamini Kalluri of Brooklyn

• Embodied storytelling of Japanese dancer Sachiyo Ito in Manhattan

• Afro-Colombian musical family of Johanna Castaneda and Ronald Polo in Queens

• Intergenerational Sri Lankan Dance Academy of New York on Staten Island

Starting November 16, CTMD will highlight three artists or ensembles each week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Audiences can tune in on those days at 5:00 PM to CTMD's YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/CTMDProgramsConcerts or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CTMDnyc.

"Through workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and streamed live performances, a stellar cast of musicians and dancers presents their personal stories, remarkable traditions, and pandemic experiences," said Andrew Colwell, PhD, Project Director and Staff Ethnomusicologist. "Their voices-whether through music, movement, or the spoken word-will serve as a powerful platform for continued advocacy for traditional arts in our city of immigrants."

Queens' own Arun Venugopal of WNYC Radio serves as the series host and introduces each episode. "The last several months have only reminded us of how special this place is," Venugopal said, "and how important it is to champion the great talents we have among us. CTMD's Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online is designed to support these artists through this difficult moment!"

After each broadcast, the performances will become part of a collection of combined voices, which will remain available online on CTMD's website at www.ctmd.org.

The schedule kicks off with:

• The Crimean Tatar Ensemble, of Brooklyn, with folk music and dance from the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine (Monday, November 16)

• The Mencius Society with Xiao Xiannian and Julie Tay of Manhattan, with yangqin (hammered dulcimer) and Chinese percussion (Wednesday, November 18)

• Sidiki Conde of Manhattan, with West African drumming and his sacred ancestral masks (Friday, November 20)

• Malang Jobarteh and Salieu Suso of the Bronx, presenting on West African jali/griot traditions (Friday, November 27)

Also on the horizon are:

• Hamid Al-Saadi of Brooklyn, performing the revered Iraqi Maqam tradition

• Gambian jail/griot Alhaji Papa Suso of the Bronx

• Senegalese dancer Lamine Thiam of Manhattan

• Algerian-American dancer Esraa Warda of Brooklyn

Discover more upcoming events at https://ctmd.org/programs/sustaining-cultures/beat-of-the-boroughs-nyc-online/. And, audiences can see a preview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2tJtwEcS0.

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