Eiko will continue her BODY IN PLACES sojourn at the River to River Festival this summer (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
The free summer dance season is upon us, with presentations in parks all around the city, including participatory programs in addition to companies from across the globe and site-specific projects by local favorites. Bryant Park will be hosting several dance series, while Central Park (and others) has SummerStage and Prospect Park has Celebrate Brooklyn! River to River boasts the most exciting lineup, but you need to reserve your free space in advance. There will also be a handful of cool performances in Socrates Sculpture Park and Hudson River Park as well as at Lincoln Center. You’ll find those and other festivals below; more information will be added as it becomes available.
Wednesday, June 1
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Cuban Salsa, with Los Hacheros, Fountain Terrace, 6:00
Saturday, June 4, through Saturday, September 24
Bryant Park Moves with Limon Dance, northeast corner of lawn, Bryant Park, 10:00 am
Wednesday, June 8
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Bachata, with Voz a Voz, Fountain Terrace, 6:00
Wednesday, June 15
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Forro, with Eliano Braz the Forro Fidler, Fountain Terrace, 6:00
Wednesday, June 15, and Thursday, June 16
Hudson River Dance Festival: Stephen Petronio Company, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers, 6:30
Thursday, June 16
River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 7:00
Dance Heginbotham will perform a site specific LMCC commission as part of River to River Festival (photo by Amber Star Merkens)
Friday, June 17
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with Alia Kache/Kachal Dance, BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT, and LaneCoArts, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00
River to River Festival: Dance Heginbotham, site-specific commission set to Erno Dohnanyi’s Serenade in C Major for String Trio, solo guitar music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the “Fandango” from Luigi Boccherini’s Quintette No. 4 in G Major, III, Winter Garden, Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St., 7:00
Saturday, June 18
SummerStage: Dance on the Lawn, preshow Master Class with Calvin Wiley, Red Hook Park, 7:00
Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19
River to River Festival: A Body in Places, installation by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 12 noon – 4:00 pm
River to River Festival: When I Return Who Will Receive Me, by Okwui Okpokwasili, Fort Jay Magazine, Governors Island, 1:30
River to River Festival: Dance Heginbotham, site-specific commission set to Erno Dohnanyi’s Serenade in C Major for String Trio, solo guitar music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the “Fandango” from Luigi Boccherini’s Quintette No. 4 in G Major, III, Winter Garden, Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St., 5:00
Sunday, June 19
River to River Festival: A Body on Governors Island, by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 4:30
Monday, June 20
River to River Festival: Riff This, Riff That, by Ephrat Asherie Dance, 33 Maiden Lane, 1:00 & 3:00
River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 5:00
Tuesday, June 21
River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 1:00
River to River Festival: Riff This, Riff That, by Ephrat Asherie Dance, 33 Maiden Lane, 1:00 & 3:00
River to River Festival: A Body on Wall Street, by Eiko Otake, Wall & Broad Sts., 5:00
River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 7:00
Wednesday, June 22
River to River Festival: A Body on Wall Street, by Eiko Otake, Wall & Broad Sts., 2:00
River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 4:00
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Latin Festival, with Grupo Arcano, Pete Nater & Associates, and the New Swing Sextet, Fountain Terrace, 6:00
River to River Festival: R2R Living Rooms, South Street Seaport, 8:30
Thursday, June 23
River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 5:00
Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25
River to River Festival: The Set Up: Kapila Venu, by Wally Cardona, Jennifer Lacey, and Jonathan Bepler, Melville Gallery, South Street Seaport Museum, 9:00
Jillian Peña’s PANOPTICON takes place at Federal Hall as part of River to River Festival (photo by Ian Douglas)
Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24
River to River Festival: Panopticon, by Jillian Peña, Federal Hall, 8:00
Friday, June 24
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with 227 Dance Project, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and Amy Marshall Dance Company, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00
Saturday, June 25
River to River Festival: A Body in Places, installation by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 12 noon – 4:00 pm
SummerStage: Brooklyn Dance Festival, with preshow master class with Mr. Kid, Betsy Head Park, 7:00
Celebrate Brooklyn! Philadanco, Prospect Park Bandshell, 8:00
River to River Festival: The Set Up: Kapila Venu, by Wally Cardona, Jennifer Lacey, and Jonathan Bepler, Melville Gallery, South Street Seaport Museum, 8:00
Sunday, June 26
River to River Festival: Panopticon, by Jillian Peña, Federal Hall, 1:00
River to River Festival: An Epilogue for Otro Teatro: True Love, by Luciana Achugar, Front St. between Beekman St. & Peck Slip, 3:00
SummerStage: Christian Cultural Center C3 Choir, Mr. Reed, Boots Step Team, DJ Styff, Betsy Head Park, 4:00
River to River Festival: R2R Living Rooms, South Street Seaport, 6:00
Wednesday, June 29
SummerStage: Screening of A Ballerina’s Tale (Nelson George, 2015), with Jeremy McQueen’s Black Iris Project and preshow panel discussion, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00
Friday, July 1
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with WILLYLAURY&CO., BARE Dance Company, and Sean Curran Company, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00
SummerStage: Maimouna Keita Dance Company, with preshow master class, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00
Saturday, July 2
Hot Summer Nights! On Stage at Kingsborough: The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra with special guest Lindy Hoppers from the Syncopated City Dance Company, Kingsborough Lighthouse Bandshell, 8:00
Thursday, July 7
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Foley Square, 5:30
Friday, July 8
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with Black Boys Dance Too, Adam Barrauch / Anatomiae Occultii, and Cherlyn Lavagnino Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00
Saturday, July 9
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Saturday, July 16
Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Sunday, July 17
SummerStage: Legacy Women, Recess Monkey, Music with a Message, Double Dutch Dreamz, St. Mary’s Park, 4:00
Thursday, July 21
Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Fort Greene Park, 7:30
Celebrate Brooklyn! Camille A. Brown & Dancers: Black Girl: Linguistic Play, Brandee Younger, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30
Saturday, July 23
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day: Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and School, Josie Robertson Plaza, 1:00
Jamaica Dance Festival: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performs Raindrops, On the River of Dreams, Mirage, Coin Stick Dance, The Flying Goddesses, and Song of the Water Lily, Rufus King Park, 6:45
Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Hot Summer Nights! On Stage at Kingsborough: Svetlana & the Delancey Six, with special guest tap star Michela Marino Lerman, Kingsborough Lighthouse Bandshell, 8:00
Sunday, July 24
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Heritage Sunday Global Beat of the Bronx: From Bambara to Breakbeats, with Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble, Bombazo Dance Company, Chief Joseph Chatoyer Dance Company, and Full Circle Souljahs, Hearst Plaza, 1:00
Wednesday, July 27
SummerStage: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Carolyn Dorfman, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00
Thursday, July 28
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Hudson River Park’s 14th Street Park, time TBA
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Maurice Hines Tappin’ Thru Life, Michael Mwenso & the Shakes, Damrosch Park, 7:30
Friday, July 29
Suite Summer Festival: Program I, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, 6:00
Young Dancemakers Company will perform an excerpt by Robert Battle in Socrates Sculpture Park on July 30
Saturday, July 30
Young Dancemakers Company, excerpt by Robert Battle, Socrates Sculpture Park, dancing the art at 2:00, performance at 2:30
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00
Suite Summer Festival: Program II, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, 3:00
Sunday, July 31
Suite Summer Festival, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, Program I at 3:00, Program II at 4:00
SummerStage: Marc Cary: The Harlem Jam Sessions, Joseph Webb: Dancing Buddhas, WBGO Kids Jazz with Brianna Thomas & the Jazz Travelers, Queensbridge Park, 4:00
Wednesday, August 3
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, and Manhattan Camerata: Tango Fado Project featuring Nathalie Pires, Damrosch Park, 7:00
Saturday, August 6
SummerStage: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, preshow master class with Jamel Gaines, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00
Wednesday, August 10
SummerStage: Tamar-kali with ASE Dance Theatre Collective, Nathan Trice Rituals, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00
Saturday, August 13
SummerStage: Carolyn Dorfman, preshow master class with Theresa Lavington, East River Park, 7:00
Sunday, August 14, to Friday, August 19
Battery Dance presents the Battery Dance Festival, Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, 6:30
Thursday, August 18
SummerStage: Tamar-kali with ASE Dance Collective, preshow master class with Calvin Wiley, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00
Friday, August 19
SummerStage: Nathan Trice Rituals, Harlem School of the Arts Young Dance Alliance, preshow master class with Calvin Wiley, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00
Saturday, August 20
Battery Dance presents the Battery Dance Festival, closing event and reception, the Schimmel Center at Pace University, free with advance RSVP, 6:00