Saturday Afternoon in Prospect Park: Los Tecuanes de San Juan Bautista Rehearsal

(Video courtesy Florencia Flores)

Saturday Night in Greenpoint: Triskelion Arts presents Never Before, Never Again at Triskelion Arts' Muriel Schulman Theater

(Videos courtesy Keeley Walsh)

Saturday Night in Crown Heights: The Hoover Dam Collective presents "Falalalaloft" at Mister Rogers

(Video courtesy Hoover Dam Collective)

Early Saturday Afternoon in Sugar Hill: Dance Theater of Harlem Street Festival on West 152nd Street between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas

(Video courtesy KatsFavs1)

Tuesday Morning in Chinatown: SummerStage Kids presents New York Chinese Cultural Center Dance Program at Columbus Park

(Videos courtesy New York Chinese Cultural Center)

Monday Night in Williamsburg: Moviehouse's Cinema Parque presents "Sternberg Dances" at Sternberg Park

We've just walked up Lorimer Street from Sternberg Park, where we went to Moviehouse's final Cinema Parque presentation of this summer, Sternberg Dances, featuring the site-specific work of choreographer Ann Robideaux and her friends.

Here's the description of this fascinating project:

Local park-goers of all ages, encouraged by choreographer Ann Robideaux, participate in a community dance collaboration resulting in a montage of movement and other talents for the camera. Open to everyone, this site-specific dance film celebrates Sternberg Park’s unique personalities and social community in one of Williamsburg’s most historic parks.

The final project, to be edited by Chris Carlone features a fortuitous and spontaneous collaboration between Ann and Samantha Jakus who also dances for powerhouse dance company: Streb.

Also look for Megan Sipe, Rosa Maria Torres (pictured above), Musicworks, and a few other amazing dance improvisers on the camera.

Ann Robideaux has choreographed in numerous venues, and for film/television for many years and has recently been the co-artistic director of ann and alexx make dances, where she choreographed aboard two World War II lightships, on the steps of the Eldridge Street Synagogue and amongst the audience seating at Dance New Amsterdam. Working with various communities, Ann is loving the chance to meet new people while behind the camera in NYC through the Sternberg Dances.

It was really fun to watch, especially with some of the park's kids in the film sitting in the audience. There was popcorn, too.

Here is some raw footage of an awesome playground dance:

There was also a film of an expressive dance done at Dead Horse Bay, back in the neighborhood where we grew up back in the late '50s and '60s.

Jesse Neuman has this, mostly stills, from the footage:

After the films were shown, Chris Henderson led a Q & A with the filmmaker, choreographer and dancer.

It was a valuable project, and we're grateful we got to see it on such a beautiful night in Sternberg Park. Thanks so much to everyone involved.

Monday Morning in Red Hook: BambaYo at the Bush Clinton Playground

We were at the bipartisan Bush Clinton Playground in Red Hook this morning,

joining a group of day campers from the Dodge YMCA in downtown Brooklyn for a terrific performance by BambaYo, the outstanding Afro-Puerto Rican teen dance/singing/percussion group founded in the Bronx by Jose Ortiz. As BombaYo's website says,

Bomba was developed in Puerto Rico over 300 years ago by enslaved Africans from parts of West Africa and the Kongo region and also includes influences from the Spanish colonizers and native Taino people. Bomba is more of an experience than a show. It's where singing, dancing and drumming come together in a community celebration of life. Boricuas on the island and stateside are reviving this tradition and in turn uncovering part of their cultural heritage.

BombaYo emerges from the streets and schoolyards of the Bronx, where salsa and hip hop were born. Under the direction of Jose L. Ortiz aka Dr. Drum and Melinda Gonzalez, this group of teens brings youthful energy to a centuries old Afro Puerto Rican music and dance tradition. BombaYo starts from within. At the core is a connection to the soul, where drum and dance become one. African inspired call and response singing complete the synergy. Beyond the appeal of a performance, they create an inviting and engaging experience. In the spirit of Sankofa, BombaYo draws from the bomba tradition to enrich their lives and embrace their cultural legacy.

It was more than just a performance for the kids. It was an experience. For us adults, too.



Exactly forty years ago, in July 1960, we were a little 9yo tourist hearing this kind of music for the first time on the streets of Old San Juan. Our incessant playing (with our younger bro) of the bongos and maracas we made our parents buy us eventually drove our neighbors crazy the rest of the summer after we returned from Puerto Rico to our bungalow on Rockaway Beach.





The beats and music and movements were infectious.





One little kid got up spontaneously and made some moves.

Then one friend joined him, then another.



Eventually more joined in.



Finally everyone got into the act.




We had to get going to downtown Brooklyn, but for all we know, the dancing hasn't stopped yet.


Here's a video of Dr. Drum and Bomba y Plena at Brook Park in the South Bronx over Memorial Day weekend.

And here's Jose Ortiz, aka Dr. Drum, and BombaYo, presented with the Yin Yang award in recognition of his inspiration, passion and daring to go beyond by R.Evolución Latina, a collective of artists and activists committed to empowering the artistic community in order to inspire growth within the Latino Community through collaboration, productions, and educational support programs.

We were very impressed.