26 Dance Companies to be Featured in 2022 Queensboro Dance Festival Tour

The Queensboro Dance Festival tour is back in action this summer, presenting 26 Queens-based dance companies and kicking off June 4 through October 2, with over 30 performances and classes across Queens. The festival is also a lead community partner in two major arts initiatives new this year, Queens Rising and TurnOut NYC.

As a platform to represent the breadth of dance cultures in Queens, some of the genres in the Queensboro Dance Festival this year includes Chutney, tap, Hawaiian, West African, contemporary, Afro Latin, Turkish Gypsy, hip-hop, Kathak, ballroom, Colombian, Greek, ballet, and Filipino dances. Dance groups hail from neighborhoods spanning from South Ozone Park to Flushing, Long Island City to Jackson Heights.

"Every summer is a new opportunity to promote cultural exchange and connect our communities through dance," says Queensboro Dance Festival founder/Executive Director, Karesia Batan. "It's about the joy of dancing together as Queens neighbors."

The Queensboro Dance Festival tour officially begins June 4th with a meet and greet party of the 125 dancers performing this summer. Touring 14 different Queens neighborhoods, free public performances and classes will be held outdoors in various Queens parks, plazas, and streets nearly every weekend through September. Audiences can see a different lineup of dances at each event, with a chance to see all 26 companies in one culminating weekend at Queens Theatre. The full schedule will be posted at www.queensborodancefestival.com. 2022

Queensboro Dance Festival companies

Barbara Mahler's Dances

Belamovado

Chieh & Yoyo

chrisbelldances

Cole Collective

Drye/Marinaro Dance Company

Fanike! African Dance Troupe

Flamenco Latino

Fruto Ancestral

Gotham Dance Theater

Greek American Folklore Society

Karla Florez School of Dance

Kinding Sindaw

Kofago Dance Ensemble

Manhatitlan Mexican Folkloric Dance Group

Na Pua Mai Ka Lani Nuioka

NK&D/a movement company

Noora Dance

Robert Mark Dance

RUDanceNY

sarAika movement collective

Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre

The Kingdom Dance Company

Umami Playground

Urvashie Kissoon

Wendy Kamal and the David Ali Dance Academy

Queensboro Dance Festival is also a lead community partner in two new major arts initiatives, Queens Rising and TurnOut Queens. Queens Rising is a borough-wide celebration during the month of June to amplify events by Queens artists of all disciplines, connecting independent artists with larger institutions to raise the visibility of their work. Piloted by the Design Trust for Public Space and SITU architecture practice, TurnOut NYC is a community-driven initiative providing a flexible outdoor venue in each borough, to expand infrastructure to local artists and arts access to the public. Though separate from Queensboro Dance Festival's tour, the festival's role in these initiatives is to help coordinate public programming and highlight local artists. The festival is TurnOut NYC's partner for the Queens location, which will be activated in July and August. "We're honored to be such an active part of the Queens arts landscape," says Batan. "By working with so many local artists and cultural organizations, we truly feel the sense of community here. We feel the support and are thrilled to keep raising the visibility of Queens artists, especially dancers."***The Queensboro Dance Festival (501c3) was launched in 2014 with the mission to strengthen the dance community in Queens and inspire a greater appreciation for Queens dance. The festival tours Queens parks, plazas, streets, and more, providing free dance performances and classes by Queens-based professional dance groups of diverse cultures and techniques. The festival also offers career support to dancers such as free rehearsal space, professional development workshops, master classes, performance footage, Queens arts and cultural resources, and a community network of fellow Queens dance artists.