By Mabel Pais

Battery Dance celebrates the 41st Anniversary of its FREE summer festival from August 13-20, 2022, in partnership with Battery Park City Authority. The 41st Annual Battery Dance Festival will feature in-person and live-streamed performances, staged at Wagner Park, Battery Park City, New York City at 7PM ET, August 13-19. A closing night event and VIP reception will be held August 20, 2022, at 6PM at The Schimmel Center. Reaching both local and international audiences, the Festival promotes Battery Dance’s mission of connecting the world through dance.

Watch the video youtu.be/niJQaZLv9Hg

For more information, visit batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival

“Lady Liberty might be tempted to shimmy and shake as dance companies from near and far take the stage at Wagner Park once again this summer. Audiences will have a tough time deciding which performance to attend. So I have a suggestion: keep your entire week free so you don’t miss a single one of the great performances that our curators have selected for your delectation!”said Battery Dance Founder Jonathan Hollander.

August 13, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Young Voices in Dance, celebrating the next generation of choreographers.

Sydney Burtis, The Difference

“The Difference” is a tap dance work that fuses sound and movement to take you on a journey through both jazz and contemporary music.

Zachary Seto, Nostalgic Beings of Synesthesia – NYC Premiere

“Nostalgic Beings of Synesthesia” is the continuation of constant conversations, the dialogue of speaking in a language unknown to humankind.

Camryn and Courtney Spero, Distance

“Distance” investigates what it means to be part of a collective and how to reconcile the fleeting time and space we have to explore the relations within it.

Kate Louissaint, Bird’s Eye – World Premiere

How do we process things we can’t see? This piece is an exploration of sisterhood, fear, and learning when to fight versus when to surrender.

Lerato Ragontse, In Between Change

“In Between Change” focuses on the beauty of technique. The piece emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself to appreciate the journey that leads to success.

Anya Susan, In Conversation

“In Conversation,” created in 2020 and reworked in 2022, is a work about the reflection of the selves.

Myles King, The Last Foundry

“The Last Foundry” navigates the complex relationship between power and vulnerability.

Shannon Harkins, Dreams and Nightmares of a Mutant People – NYC Premiere

“Dreams and Nightmares of a Mutant People” explores escapism through character, artistry, and individual oddities.

August 14, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Dancing Wheels Company, Unconquered Warriors

Nai-Ni Chen employs kung-fu fans and martial arts elements in Unconquered Warriors, her piece based on a Chinese legend about a warrior who spins a loop called the magical wheel of the wind and fire.

Ballet Nepantla, Let Down and Huasteca Suite – World Premiere

“Let Down” is the story of a lost love that confronts gender normative dancing, while providing representation for queer females in dance.

Linotip, Diagonal & Cain – World Premiere

The duet “Diagonal” is inspired by the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century.

Gaudanse, nanibu – NYC Premiere

“Nanibu” investigates what it means to be royalty through imagery and movement.

Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Just Above the Surface

Created as part of a residency program commissioned by Western Michigan University, this piece explores the electric connection of human interaction—the sensations that pull people together or apart.

The Vanaver Caravan, Vanaver Caravan Retrospective

In celebration of The Vanaver Caravan’s 50th anniversary, the troupe’s dancers and musicians present excerpts from their legacy of innovative world dance and music.

August 15, 2022 (75TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE)

at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Anjali Dance Company and Siddhendra Kuchipudi Art Academy

Two leading practitioners of the South Indian classical form of Kuchipudi share the Festival stage on August 15th,  the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence.  Rathna Kumar, the first artist to put Indian dance on the map in Texas, established Anjali Dance Company and School in Houston in 1975.  Two of her talented disciples, IshaParupudi and Sadhana Gollapudi, reveal the intricacies of the form in solo and duet choreography by Ms. Kumar.

Swathi Gundapuneedi-Atluri has kept footholds in her native Hyderabad while also establishing Siddhendra Kuchipudi Dance Company and Academy in New Jersey.  Duets and ensemble choreography by Sri Hari Ramamurthy are performed by Siddhendra members Sreeja Paruchuri, Mamta Mathur, Sri Reshmi Ogoti, Gayatri Pratha and SravyaManasaSankisa.

August 16, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Christina Carminucci, The Solidarity Series IV: Free Spirits Suite – World Premiere

Accompanied by a live jazz band, the fourth original work of the Solidarity Series, is dedicated to presenting tap dance and jazz music together.

Linotip, Diagonal & Cain – World Premiere

The duet “Diagonal” is inspired by the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century.

Fairul Zahid & Lasalle Dance Singapore, Allocentric, Singapore – World Premiere

Hailing from Kuala Lumpur and now based in Singapore, award-winning choreographer Fairul Zahid explores the hierarchy of multiple social identities.

Buglisi Dance Theatre, Threads

“Threads” takes inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as narrated by people from all over the world, beginning with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Boca Tuya / Omar Roman de Jesus, Los Perros del Barrio Colosal

Through the exaggerated mannerisms of daytime television, the six characters of “Los Perros del Barrio Colosal” take us on a wild romp through the challenges of creative decision-making.

August 17, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Xing Dance Theater, Citizen

“Citizen” interrogates the labels we receive – foreigner, immigrant, gay, white, black, Asian, poor, old, young.

Julienne Doko, Lost Memories, Denmark – U.S. Premiere

Mémoires Perdues questions the notions of collective memory and progress: Do we really learn from the lessons of the past?

Tati Nuñez, Touch – Returned – World Premiere

“Touch – Returned” explores how physical touch can create both an internal and external presence in space around you, exposing both vulnerability and humility as the dancers experience one another.

Dos Proposiciones Dance Theatre, Pacto de Fuga, Spain – U.S. Premiere

“Pacto de fuga” is the answer to the choreographer’s concern for exploring the coexistence between contemporary dance and urban landscape.

Ntrinsik Movement, Kindred Spirit

“Kindred Spirit” is an excerpt of a multi-disciplinary production entitled “House of Love” that reflects our culture and heritage.

Ballet Inc., Touche, – World Premiere

Set to Debussy and Brahms, “Touche” is a contemporary ballet that investigates the idea of the female and male emotive response to difficult decisions.

Alison Chase/Performance, Tsu-Ku-Tsu

“Tsu-Ku-Tsu” explores the balance and order of a regal procession giving way to full-throttle pandemonium of tumbling, leaps, and rebounds.

August 18, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Demi Remick & Dancers, That’s Entertainment! – World Premiere

“That’s Entertainment!” is a rhythmically virtuosic and theatrically driven tap dance work set to the music of Judy Garland.

Floyd McLean Jr., Cold – NYC Premiere

“Cold” explores the importance of holding one another up in a world that seems like it has its cards stacked against you.

Battery Dance Company, Hoffman Dances

“Hofmann Dances,” is a trio of new dance works inspired by Hans Hofmann, one of the 20th century’s most influential painters and teachers.

TeaTime Company, Stick-Stok, Netherlands – U.S. Premiere

In “Stick-Stok,” TeaTime Company focuses on the blending of Circus and Dance, utilizing juggling, contemporary dance and Chinese pole skills.

Fairul Zahid & Lasalle Dance Singapore, Allocentric, Singapore – World Premiere

Hailing from Kuala Lumpur and now based in Singapore, award-winning choreographer Fairul Zahid explores the hierarchy of multiple social identities.

Tina Croll + Company, Balkan Bacchanal

“Balkan Bacchanal” explores the intricate rhythms and moods found in the music from Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Romania.

August 19, 2022 at 7pm at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park

Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Face What’s Facing You!

Choreographed by company dancer Claude Alexander III, the piece is an honest, soul-stirring work addressing the facing of life’s challenges.

LaneCoArts, Swerve

“Swerve” explores society’s deviating, swerving away from the foundational principles of nature.

Dos Proposiciones Dance Theatre, Pacto de Fuga, Spain – U.S. Premiere

“Pacto de fuga” is the answer to the choreographer’s concern for exploring the coexistence between contemporary dance and urban landscape.

iKADA Contemporary Dance Company, Unfolding

Choreographer Ae-Soon Kim’s cultural roots and life journey on three continents weave together the people, places and things encountered to compose the soul.

Battery Dance Company, Hoffman Dances

“Hofmann Dances,” is a trio of new dance works inspired by Hans Hofmann, one of the 20th century’s most influential painters and teachers.

Compagnie Virginie Brunelle, Les Corps Avalés, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Against a backdrop of resilience and hope, “Les Corps Avalés” explores power relations, inequalities and social upheaval.

August 20, 2022 at 6pm at The Schimmel Center at Pace University – *RESERVATIONS REQUIRED*

Boca Tuya/Omar Roman de Jesus, Los Perros del Barrio Colosal

Through the exaggerated mannerisms of daytime television, the six characters of “Los Perros del Barrio Colosal” take us on a wild romp through the challenges of creative decision-making.

Battery Dance Company, Hoffman Dances

“Hofmann Dances,” is a trio of new dance works inspired by Hans Hofmann, one of the 20th century’s most influential painters and teachers.

Julienne Doko, Lost Memories, Denmark – U.S. Premiere

“Mémoires Perdues” questions the notions of collective memory and progress: Do we really learn from the lessons of the past?

TeaTime Company, Stick-Stok, Netherlands – U.S. Premiere

 In “Stick-Stok,” TeaTime Company focuses on the blending of Circus and Dance.

Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Face What’s Facing You!

Choreographed by company dancer Claude Alexander III, the piece is an honest, soul-stirring work addressing the facing of life’s challenges.

Compagnie Virginie Brunelle, Les Corps Avalés, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Against a backdrop of resilience and hope, “Les Corps Avalés” explores power relations, inequalities and social upheaval.

BATTERY DANCE

To learn about Battery Dance & the Festival, visit batterydance.org

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality)