this week in dance

FIAF’s BASTILLE DAY 2022

BASTILLE DAY
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Madison Ave. between Fifty-Ninth & Sixty-Third Sts.
Sunday, July 10, free – $75, noon – 5:00 pm
fiaf.org

On July 14, 1789, a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille prison, a symbolic victory that kicked off the French Revolution and the establishment of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Ever since, July 14 has been a national holiday celebrating liberté, égalité, and fraternité. In New York City, the Bastille Day festivities are set for Sunday, July 10, on Madison Ave. between Fifty-Ninth & Sixty-Third Sts., where the French Institute Alliance Française hosts its annual daylong party of food and drink, music and dance, and other special activities. The celebration features free live music by Paul Beaubrun, street dance by Cal Hunt, a dance party with DJ Orson, and an excerpt from the French musical Notre Dame de Paris on the main stage at Fifty-Ninth St. from noon to 5:00; a Summer in the South of France Tasting in Tinker Auditorium from 12:30 to 5:00 ($35), with wines from Maison Antech, Château Maris, and Château Haut-Blanville, nonalcoholic wines from Le Petit Béret, gazpacho from Karine & Jeff, and cheese selections from cheese2u.com; a sneak preview screening of Matthieu Rozé’s Azuro starring Valérie Donzelli in Florence Gould Hall at 5:30 ($17); and the elegant Champagne & Musette Party at 1:30 ($65-$75) in Le Skyroom, with live music by Chloé Perrier & the French Heart Jazz Band, Champagnes from Billecart Salmon, Delamotte, and Henriot, macarons from Thierry Atlan, and hors d’oeuvres from Miss Madeleine.

A sneak preview of Matthieu Rozé’s Azuro is part of FIAF Bastille Day festivities

The French Garden between Sixtieth & Sixty-First consists of booths from Thermomix, Thierry Atlan, Stephane Koerwyn, Angelina Paris, Bichon, OCabanon, Oliviers & Co, Opinel, Payot, Silpat, and Tissage Moutet, while Market Booths between Sixtieth & Sixty-Third include Brasserie Cognac, Maman Bakery, Mille-feuille Bakery Cafe, Hanami Designs, Barachou, Miss Madeleine, and dozens more. The FIAF Language Center Booth between Fifty-Ninth & Sixtieth will present special activities for children and a trivia contest for adults from 1:00 to 4:00. And this year’s prize drawing can win you skincare baskets, a wellness collection, a FIAF Premier Membership, a two-night stay at Sofitel New York, or a Dream Getaway for Two to France’s Occitanie region.

BroadwayCon 2022

Who: Anthony Rapp, LaChanze, Andrew Barth Feldman, Carolee Carmello, Ben Cameron, Erin Quill, Fredi Walker-Browne, Julie White, Telly Leung, Ilana Levine, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Vanessa Williams, Judy Kuhn, Lesli Margherita, Nik Walker, Ryann Redmond, Thayne Jasperson, Hillary Clinton, more
What: BroadwayCon 2022
Where: Manhattan Center, 311 West Thirty-Fourth St., and the New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Ave.
When: July 8-10, day passes $80, general pass $200, gold pass $425, platinum pass $1,250
Why: BroadwayCon is back with an in-person edition taking place July 8-10 at the Manhattan Center and the New Yorker Hotel, right by Madison Square Garden and Penn Station and just a few blocks south of the Theater District. This year’s edition includes panel discussions, interviews, live performances, podcasts, a cosplay contest, workshops, photo and autograph sessions, singalongs, meetups, and celebrations of and inside looks at such shows as A Strange Loop, Six the Musical, Chicago, POTUS, Dear Evan Hansen, Beetlejuice, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Kimberly Akimbo, SpongeBob SquarePants, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Kite Runner, Assassins, and Hamilton.

Among those participating at the three-day festival are Anthony Rapp, LaChanze, Carolee Carmello, Ben Cameron, Erin Quill, Julie White, Telly Leung, Vanessa Williams, Judy Kuhn, Lesli Margherita, and Hillary Clinton, talking about such topics as racial and gender diversity, disability, understudies, anxiety, body positivity, and Stephen Sondheim.

Below are select highlights for each day:

Friday, July 8
Ensemble screening, with Telly Leung, 10:00 am, followed by a talkback at 11:20, Crystal Ballroom, the New Yorker Hotel

BroadwayCon 2022 Opening Ceremony, with Ben Cameron, Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, 12:40

Here’s to the Ladies: Hillary Rodham Clinton Live at BroadwayCon, with LaChanze, Julie White, and Vanessa Williams, moderated by Hillary Clinton, Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, 1:00

Making a Living and Having a Life in Theatre Production, with Jameson Croasdale, Mary Kathryn “MK” Blazek, Rebecca Zuber, Lauren Parrish, and Gary Levinson, moderated by Naomi Siegel, Sutton Place Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 2:20

Lights, Overture, Stage Fright! Breaking Down Performance Anxiety, with Kira Sparks, Sutton Place Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 3:40

POTUS is one of several Broadway shows that will be featured at BroadwayCon (photo by Paul Kolnick)

Saturday, July 9
Black Lives Matter on Broadway, with T. Oliver Reid, Britton Smith, Emilio Sosa, Michael Dinwiddie, and Lillias White, moderated by Linda Armstrong, New Yorker Hotel Grand Ballroom, 10:00

Broadway Livestreaming: Expanding the Reach of Live Theatre, with Timothy Allen McDonald, Sean Cercone, Luke Naphat, Tralen Doler, Nathan Gehan, and Jen Sandler, moderated by Joshua Turchin, Gramercy Park Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 11:20

Getting the Show Back on the Road: The Pandemic and Its Impact on Touring Broadway, with Jacob Persily, Sutton Place Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 2:20

Paul Gemignani and Sondheim’s Musical Legacy, with Margaret Hall and Meg Masseron, Crystal Ballroom, the New Yorker Hotel, 3:40

BroadwayCon Cabaret, with special secret guest, hosted by Ben Cameron, Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, 5:00

Sunday, July 10
Cheers to Understudies: The Broadway Cast Live!, with Amber Ardolino, Mallory Maedke, Tally Sessions, and Lauren Boyd, hosted by Ben Cameron, New Yorker Hotel Grand Ballroom, 10:00

Body Liberation on Broadway, with Amara Janae Brady, Shantez M. Tolbut, and Evan Ruggiero, moderated by Stephanie Lexis, Gramercy Park Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 10:00

Directors on Debuts, with Zhailon Levingston and Tina Satter, moderated by Zeynep Akça, Crystal Ballroom, the New Yorker Hotel, 1:00

Tell Me More! Tell Me More!, special guests TBA, Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom, 2:20

Broadway Anecdotes II: Golden Age Gossip, with Kenneth Kantor, Joshua Ellis, and Mimi Quillin, moderated by Ken Bloom, Gramercy Park Suite, the New Yorker Hotel, 5:00

PAUL MAHEKE: A FIRE CIRCLE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING

Paul Maheke rehearses A fire circle for a public hearing before US debut on the High Line this week (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Who: Paul Maheke, Morgan “Emme” Bryant, Lucy Hollier, Rafaelle Kennibol-Cox
What: High Line Art live performance
Where: The High Line at Fourteenth St.
When: June 28-30, free (advance RSVP recommended), 7:00
Why: “My work is always in reaction or in response to a certain space, a certain context,” multidisciplinary French artist Paul Maheke said in a 2018 discussion about his installation A fire circle for a public hearing at Chisenhale Gallery in London. “Often in my exhibitions, there is this notion of welcoming people in the space, whether they are collaborators or members of the audience.” Maheke is reimagining A fire circle for a public hearing for its US debut, taking place in the Fourteenth St. tunnel passage on the High Line June 28-30 at 7:00. He will be joined by dancers Morgan “Emme” Bryant and Rafaelle Kennibol-Cox and trombonist Lucy Hollier. The piece combines music, movement, and spoken word as Maheke explores marginalization, hypervisibility, erasure, and identity.

Paul Maheke’s A fire circle for a public hearing premiered at Chisenhale Gallery in London in 2018 (photo by Mark Blower)

“Paul’s work asks important questions about what it means to be a body onstage, and how a single person is able to hold many shared and overlapping histories in a single gesture. He encourages us to think about what is seen and what is not seen, both in the performance of a single person, but also in our wider cultures and histories at large,” High Line Art associate curator Melanie Kress said in a statement. Judging from a rehearsal I saw a few days ago, this is a powerful work with a lot to say about where we are at this moment in history.

VIRTUAL DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL

Who: Sixty companies and more than three hundred and fifty artists from around the world
What: Virtual Dumbo Dance Festival
Where: White Wave Dance online
When: June 23-26, $15 per performance, $20 for finale, $100-$250 for gala
Why: The twenty-first annual Dumbo Dance Festival will take place online June 23-26, kicking off with the gala featuring speakers Gerald Appelstein, Danni Gee, Jennifer Muller, Ludo Scheffer, Thera Marshall, Pascal Rekoert, and Young Soon Kim and presentations by Buglisi Dance Theatre, A.L.A.H., Limón2, Hyonok Kim Dance Arts, achagmu center|KIM / MEA JA, UBIN Dance|Na-Hyun Lee, and WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company. Performances continue June 24-26, along with a free Zoom dance class and a family-friendly program.

“This is a festival about opportunities,” Young Soon Kim said in a statement. “The DUMBO Dance Festival — now virtual — provides an opportunity for over 350 performing artists to showcase their work. Further, it offers New York and global audiences the chance to experience one of the most diverse displays of leading-edge choreography and excellence at an affordable price.” Among the dozens of other participating troupes are Jody Oberfelder Projects, David Appel, Ballaro Dance, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Meg Kirchhoff, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, and Taylor Graham from New York, Flamencodanza Aylin Bayaz from Spain, Ramona Sekulovic from Germany, Lisa D. Long and Lauren Blair Smith Dance Company from California, Theatre Mucheon from Korea, and Cristina Ruberto from Italy.

THE THREADS PROJECT #1 “UNIVERSAL DIALOGUES”

Blakely White-McGuire (photo by Nan Melville) and Buglisi Dance Theatre (photo by Deb Fong) bring world premiere to Chelsea Factory this week

Who: Buglisi Dance Theatre
What: World premiere dance
Where: Chelsea Factory, 547 West Twenty-Sixth St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
When: Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23, $15-$40, 7:30
Why: This week Buglisi Dance Theatre presents the world premiere of The Threads Project #1 “Universal Dialogues,” taking place June 22-23 at 7:30 at Chelsea Factory. The sixty-minute piece is a collaboration between founding artistic director Jacqulyn Buglisi and choreographers Alexander Anderson, Jennifer Archibald, Sidra Bell, PeiJu Chien-Pott, Daniel Fetecua, Loni Landon, Jesse Obremski, and Blakeley White-McGuire, searching for poetic truths, gaining hope and inspiration from the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The work will be performed by White-McGuire, Ben Schultz, Lauren Jaeger, Jessica Sgambelluri, Ashley Merker, Greta Campo, Aoi Sato, Rayan Lecurieux-Durival, Sierra Sanders, Zachary Jeppsen, Kate Reyes, Esteban Santamaria, Gabrielle Willis, Isabella Pagano, and Jai Perez, with costumes by Lauren Starobin, projections by Joey Moro, and sets and lighting by Jack Mehler. The June 22 show will be followed by a talkback with members of the company, while there will be a reception for gala ticketholders after the June 23 performance.

SCHOMBURG CENTER LITERARY FESTIVAL 2022

Who: Harambee Dance Company, Jason Reynolds, Roxane Gay, Roger Reeves, Jennifer Mack Watkins, Akwaeke Emezi, A. J. Verdelle, Linda Villarosa, Jacqueline Woodson, more
What: Schomburg Literary Festival
Where: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd. at 135th St.
When: Saturday, June 18, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm, free
Why: The fourth annual Schomburg Literary Festival takes place on Saturday, June 18, with poetry readings, live music, workshops, discussions, book signings, and more on Malcolm X Blvd. Among the highlights are appearances by Jason Reynolds, Roxane Gay, Jennifer Mack Watkins, and Jacqueline Woodson. Below is the full schedule; all events are free. In addition, the Marketplace features booths from the Center for Fiction, the Reading Team, Subsume, Harlem Writers Guild, Total Equity Now, Countee Cullen Library, New York Urban League, and others.

Woke Baby! Festival, with Theo Gangi, Cathy Linh Che, Max Michael Jacob, Soré Agbaje, Stephanie Pachecho, Miah Prescod, Oluwatoyin Kupoluyi, Ayonnah Sullivan, and Jasmine Dabney, curated and hosted by Mahogany L. Browne, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Stage, 10:30

Reading, an Act of Rebellion and Joy, procession and discussion with Harambee Dance Company, Jason Reynolds, and Roxane Gay, Langston Hughes Auditorium, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 11:00

Workshop: The Art of Creating Historical Fiction, facilitated by Minnette Coleman, American Negro Theatre, 12:00

​Poetry for Our Time, with Kemi Alabi, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 12:15

Mateo Askaripour, with moderator Rahshib Thomas, Aaron Douglas Reading Room, 12:30

Health and Racism in America, with Linda Villarosa, moderated by Rebecca Carroll, Langston Hughes Auditorium, 12:45

Poetry for Our Time, with Akwaeke Emezi, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 12:45

Literary Monuments, Friendship, and Toni Morrison, with A. J. Verdelle, moderated by Tiphanie Yanique, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Stage, 1:00

​Black Food Stories, with Bryant Terry, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 1:30

Cleyvis Natera and Jacinda Townsend, with moderator Leslie-Ann Murray, Aaron Douglas Reading Room, 1:45

Black Manhattan in and out of the Archives, with Kia Corthron and Kevin McGruder, moderated by Eric K. Washington, Langston Hughes Auditorium, 2:00

Workshop: Intro to Personal Storytelling, American Negro Theatre, 2:00

To Be Brave and in Love, with Akwaeke Emezi, moderated by Nicole Dennis-Benn, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Stage, 2:15

Poetry for Our Time, with Roger Reeves, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 2:15

Featured Literary Festival Artist: Jennifer Mack Watkins, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 3:00

Caleb Gayle, with moderator Joy Bivins, Aaron Douglas Reading Room, 3:00

Embracing Desire, A Debut Author’s Journey, with Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, moderated by Jacqueline Woodson, Langston Hughes Auditorium, 3:15

Crafting Community in Short Stories, with Sidik Fofana and Ladee Hubbard, moderated by Ainehi Edoro, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Stage, 3:30

​Poetry for Our Time, with Harold Green III, Zora Neale Hurston Stage, 3:45

The Last Poet’s Abiodun Oyewole, listening session and conversation, Langston Hughes Auditorium, 4:30

¡VIVA MÉXICO!

Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York will perform with Mariachi Real de Mexico at cultural festival at National Arts Club

Who: Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York, Mariachi Real de Mexico
What: Celebration of Mexican culture
Where: The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South
When: Saturday, June 18, free with advance RSVP, 1:00
Why: The National Arts Club and the Mexican Cultural Institute are teaming up for “¡Viva México!,” a celebration of Mexican culture, with a special free program on June 18 at 1:00. Part of Festival New York, it begins with Mariachi Real de Mexico playing on the stoop of the club on Gramercy Park South, then heading indoors with dancers from Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Nueva York, where they will perform traditional works from Veracruz, Jalisco, and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. In addition, costumes from the eight regions of Oaxaca will be on view. Admission is free with advance registration.