After a successful first year, the 2nd annual Queensboro Dance Festival returns to The Secret Theater in Long Island City this October 12-18th. The festival features only Queens-based choreographers with the mission to strengthen the dance identity in Queens, and to bring together the community in the spirit of dance cultivated in the borough. Tickets ($15 advance/$18 at door) are now on sale with the full festival schedule available on the website, www.queensborodancefestival.
This year the festival will present 23 Queens-based choreographers, spanning across the neighborhoods of Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside, Howard Beach, Astoria, Sunnyside, and St. Albans. Many of the dance works will be Queens premieres, ranging from bellydance to tap, modern to flamenco. The kick-off party is open to the public, where participating choreographers and Queens community can mingle. The week continues with 6 curated evenings of dance performances, including post-show talkbacks on Thursday, Friday, and Satuday. A free open rehearsal of various past and present festival participants will take place Sunday October 11, 3-8pm at Murray Playground (21st St at 45th Rd) in Long Island City. Dance/NYC and Spaceworks LIC are festival community partners.
“It’s exciting to discover how living in our borough shapes what choreographers create,” says Queensboro Dance Festival Founder/Director Karesia Batan. “I’m hoping with each year of the festival, our Queens dance community will feel more accessible and more unified, but still diverse.”
The Queensboro Dance Festival is produced under The Physical Plant. The Physical Plant, led by artistic director Karesia Batan, is a modern dance
NSquared Dance
Leah Smit
Photo credit: Steve Clarke
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