About the Festival itself……

We aim to introduce all forms of dance – from ballet to modern, to hip hop, swing, Latin, Indian, jazz, belly dance, African, hula, street, and so forth….we even have a dancing Yogi! Our goal is to have as diverse a festival as possible. We present a “Woodstock of Dance”, in hopes of bringing all cultures together in one park, in one day. It’s an extension of the Parade, a celebration, and a way for the community to come together and just dance! We do not discriminate, ANY dance style is welcome. We do welcome outside countries to come in and share our festivities too, though we do not provide housing or stipends. Performances will occur on three dance stages as well as areas for teaching dance. We welcome the audience to dance throughout the park too (or they get a ticket from our Dance Police volunteers). This May, come dance with us!

Tompkins Square Park, the destination of the parade at Avenue A and Saint Marks Place, comes alive with choreographed performances, workshops and social dance–all free to the public. For 2012, there will be 3 stages: A Performance Stage, Family Friendly Stage and Teaching Stage. A social dance / party area will rock out in the Northeast Corner of the Park!

Announcement to Dance Groups interested to perform at DanceFest 2012:

As Dance Parade is for hobbyist and professional dancers alike, the post parade festival “DanceFest” is the “best of the parade”, comprised of both professional and preprofessional dance artists/groups who come from various backgrounds, styles, ages, and experience. In our sixth year, curation is pretty informal. In the past, we asked groups to email Mariana Bekerman (mariana”at”danceparade.org), Chair of DanceFest Curation Committee, a blurb about the group’s history, a YouTube link of your work (similar in style & mood interested in presenting day of) along with any other pertinent information we should know. This year, when you set up an account and pay your group’s $50 registration fee, you can type in all this info (include the link to your work, if possible), allowing the entire team to review together.

What you need to know & expect the day of and before:

1) No payment is currently made to performing soloists or groups
2) Expressing your interest to perform does not guarantee a slot.
3) You must be a part of the parade in order to participate in the festival. Parade is from a 10am call-in time & ends at the park around 3pm. Performances start at 3:15pm & conclude by 7pm sharp! Yes, it’s a long day & we thank you for your commitment!
4) While we attempt to cater to your needs, once you are informed that you have been selected to perform (usually, notified in early/ mid April, exact date, TBA), please make certain that your entire troupe is available for the entire day as exact time schedule will not be disclosed till all groups have reconfirmed their participation.
5) If your group was selected to perform last year & you did not show up, you will not be invited this year. No exceptions!

We do provide water but it is greatly advised that you make sure both you & your dancers have hydration & food on hand (or can always purchase outside the park). The bathrooms are in the park & we do not have changing areas. Also, since its a daytime event, there are no lights or tech rehearsal so do keep this in mind when selecting your dance(s). We have three stages (possibly four). You and your group will need to arrive to the designated stage area (you will know which in advance) fifteen minutes prior to showtime. Please, do not have us looking for you & do make certain that when you set your accounts up during registration, that you also provide your cell phone number in the case we do need to connect with you the day of.

Thank you so much for your interest and contributing your dance to DanceFest!