Dance Party Series at Bryant Park: Dance Instruction & Live Music with Salsa, Swing, Flamenco, Merengue, More!
Company:
Dance Party Series at Bryant Park
Bryant Park Dance Party
May 3:
New York Salsa
with Avenida B Salsa Dura
May 4:
Swing Dance to Jazz, R&B and Blues
with The Antoinette Montague Experience
May 5:
Cinco de Mayo Party
with Mariachi Real De Mexico & Jose Adán Perez
May 10:
Flamenco and Rumba Night
with Nélida Tirado
May 11:
African Fusion Night
with Sekou and Friends
May 12:
Music of the Americas: Colombia, Peru & Venezuela
with La Mar
Dance Instruction at 6pm / Live Music and Dance at 7pm
First-Come, First-Served Entry
Interactive parties with superb bands and expert instruction,
hosted and produced by Talía Castro-Pozo
More information at https://bryantpark.org/programs/dance-party
A beloved midtown tradition since 2014, Dance Party, returns for the first time since 2019! The series is back in the first two weeks of May with six free programs of dance instruction, social dance and live music. This year, events take place on three consecutive nights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. At each Dance Party event, attendees will meet at the world-famous Bryant Park Fountain to learn basic steps with expert instructors from 6pm to 7pm. Afterwards, participants can test out their new moves with concerts performed by a diverse selection of NYCs best dance bands from 7pm to 8:30pm.
Dance Party makes dance fun and easy for all ages and ability levels with hands-on instruction in popular steps. Audiences will learn basic moves in old favorites like salsa and swing, alongside first-time shows with dance instruction in flamenco, African Dance and Mexican Dance. Bryant Park's stellar cast of instructors from around the globe bring with them a deep understanding of the traditions and innovations of their chosen specialties.
This year's Dance Party series features salsa from Avenida B Salsa Dura (on 5/3), swing dance from The Antoinette Montague Experience (5/4), a Cinco de Mayo Party with Mariachi Real De Mexico and singer Jose Adán Perez (5/5), flamenco and rumba with Nélida Tirado (5/10), a continent-spanning African Fusion Night with Sekou and Friends (5/11), and an evening featuring music of the Americas from Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela with La Mar (5/12).
More information about other upcoming cultural events at Bryant Park, including a lineup announcement for Bryant Park Picnic Performances will be released in the coming weeks.
COVID-19 vaccinations not currently required but are encouraged for audiences attending these events. Bryant Park will continue to follow New York City and New York State COVID-19 guidelines.
Performance Details
Tuesday, May 3 at 6PM
New York Salsa with Avenida B Salsa Dura
Adriel Flete (West Side Story) joins Talía to kick off the series Salsa-style
Avenida B Salsa Dura is a classic salsa dura band committed to playing salsa for the dance community. With roots in the Lower East Side of New York City, this new group has an old soul, committed to unearthing and reviving the old school sound and timeless swing of the kind of salsa that truly makes you want to get up and dance. Through their unique repertoire and attention to speed, duration and structure, they hope to reconnect dancers and musicians in a meaningful way that reflects both the dancer's experience and love for salsa dura.
Wednesday, May 4 at 6PM
Swing Dance to Jazz, R&B and Blues with The Antoinette Montague Experience
Dance instruction by Marlon Mills & Akemi Kinukawa
Antoinette Montague, hailing from Newark, is loved and highly respected as a crowd-pleasing performer of New York jazz and blues. Montague is an international entertainer, educator, producer and promoter of events who hosts a Saturday morning jazz radio talk show on WHCR 90.3 FM, celebrating multi-generational jazz artists and legends. Montague has been mentored by many greats, including Etta Jones, Carrie Smith and Inez McClendon. She is an Adjunct Professor at Marymount Manhattan College, where she teaches jazz and blues singing and history, stage presence, audition strategy and organic music theory. Montague is also the CEO of Jazz Woman to the Rescue, a foundation encouraging the donation of instruments to young people.
Thursday, May 5 at 6PM
Cinco de Mayo Party with Mariachi Real De Mexico and Jose Adán Perez
Polka and Jarabe Tapatio instruction by Argelia Arreola and Rafa Reyes
Mariachi Real De Mexico, founded in 1991 by Ramon Ponce and his son, Ramon Ponce Jr., is considered to be among the foremost ambassadors of mariachi music and the most important and sought-after mariachi ensemble in New York City and the Northeast United States. Mariachi Real De Mexico is a partner with The Mariachi Academy of New York (MANY), a non-profit organization devoted to teaching the beautiful music and tradition of mariachi, the first program of its kind on the East Coast. Mariachi Real De Mexico is proud to be a part of MANY as it keeps the beautiful music and mariachi tradition alive.
Baritone José Adán Pérez is an alumnus of Los Angeles Opera Plácido Domingo’s Young Artist Program, the AVA of Philadelphia, Aspen Opera Theater, IVAI Israel and SIVAM Opera Program. After his operatic debut in LA Opera as Marcello in La Bohème under the baton of Maestro Plácido Domingo, he has collaborated with New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Italy, and many more. Pérez has been part of a number of important recording projects, such as the world premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino with the Los Angeles Opera (released as a DVD and later broadcasted on PBS Great Performances), the US premiere of Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten with Los Angeles Opera, the recent Latin Grammy-nominated album Únicamente la Verdad, and many more.
Tuesday, May 10 at 6PM
Flamenco and Rumba Night with Nélida Tirado
Hailed as “magnificent” and "utterly compelling" by The New York Times, Nélida Tirado has been recognized around the globe for her intense grace and powerful style. Tirado embodies the passion of Flamenco and Latin dance, alighting stages around the world with her depth and virtuosity. Flamenco defined her artistic purpose and professional calling, but Latin dance had always been part of her Puerto Rican roots, family, and cultural traditions. It wasn't until she started simultaneously teaching at a local Boys and Girls Club in New York and became enamored with a Latin dance class being held next door. She'd never seen this dance at such a technical level. She'd drop in on occasion for the last few minutes of class and was immediately noticed for her natural ability. She was then invited at the early age of 16 years old to perform at the Apollo Theater in tribute to Miriam Makeba with Latin legend Tito Puente. Tirado's accomplishments include notable performances in the highly acclaimed Broadway production of Riverdance. As a solo flamenco dancer, she has performed and toured in World Music Institute’s Gypsy Caravan I; Franco Zeferelli's Carmen with the Metropolitan Opera, and more. While always remaining connected to her Latin roots throughout her dance career, Nelida performed in an exclusive show for President Bush at the Ford Theater in Washington D.C. and has performed with numerous latin icons such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tito Nieves, Tony Vega, Jose Alberto, and many more. Tirado has been featured in The New York Times for numerous performances, The New Yorker, The Star-Ledger, and selected as one of Dance Magazine's "25 To Watch." Tirado can be most recently seen in Warner Brother's film adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights.
Wednesday, May 11 at 6PM
African Fusion Night with Sekou and Friends
Featuring Music and African-Fusion Dance workshop by
Sekou McMiller, Babacar Top, and The Artist Collective
Curated by famed Artist/Choreographer Sekou McMiller inspired by his extensive travels to Cuba and Senegal, African Fusion Night is an exciting collaboration rooted in movement and rhythm stemming from the African Diaspora, specifically the Sabar culture of Sénégal, Afro Beat from West Africa and Afro Cuban dance and music Featuring some amazing international musicians and instructors from New York City, Cuba and Senegal, we celebrate and highlight African and Caribbean culture through music and dance.
Thursday, May 12 at 6PM
Music of the Americas: Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela with La Mar
Join Talía and friends for an evening of Salsa, Cumbia, and Afro Peruvian dance
La Mar is led by the Colombian-American Classical Guitarist and Composer Nilko Andreas Guarin. Guarin has been praised as an “electrifying performer for his powerful stage presence and spontaneity” by Backstage. Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009, Nilko Andreas has been captivating audiences in over fifteen countries and three continents as a soloist, composer and chamber musician, performing on prestigious stages such as Wildthurn Castle in Germany and The Strathmore Hall in Bethesda. Guarin is the recipient of many international awards including the “Recognition Award” by the city of New York for his contributions to the Arts. Guarin has appeared as soloist with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphonic Orchestra of China, and Surabaya Symphony Orchestra in Indonesia. He has participated in renowned international festivals as Cooperstown Music Festival, Vale do Café and Festival do Inverno do Petropolis in Brazil, and has worked with prominent composers including Alba Potes, “Prix de Rome” winner Juan Pablo Carreno, Kevin Purcell, Juan Pablo Contreras, Ricardo Calderoni, Reinaldo Moya and Francisco Zumaque. As a composer, Nilko Andreas has written music for independent films, theatre, dance and solo artists. His score for the silent film Pancho Villa’s Revenge was celebrated at the world-renowned Flaherty Film Seminar. His collaboration with award-winning theatre group Artificio, in Federico García Lorca’s The Butterfly’s Evil Spell, won him honors, awards and rave reviews. Recently he was commissioned by Mordance to write a piece for a chamber ensemble that premiered in New York's Sheen Center.
About Bryant Park Corporation
Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions, and corporate sponsors, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security, sanitation, and horticultural services, BPC offers restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The Midtown Manhattan park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. BPC's website, bryantpark.org, offers more detailed information and a schedule of upcoming events.
Location and Subway Directions
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Take the B, D, F, or M train to 42nd Street/Bryant Park; or, take the 7 train to 5th Avenue.
Photo Credit: Angelito Jusay
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