Battery Dance
presents
The 36th Annual
BATTERY DANCE FESTIVAL
in association with Battery Park City Authority
August 13-19, 2017

Battery Dance, in association with Battery Park City Authority, announces the 36th Annual Battery Dance Festival, with free performances on August 13-18, 2017, from 7pm to 9pm against the breathtaking backdrop of the New York Harbor at Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City, culminating in a closing event and reception on August 19, 2017, from 6pm to 8pm at
The Schimmel Center at Pace University. For more information, visit http://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/. Tickets for August 19 will be available beginning 8/1.
 
Established by Battery Dance in 1982 as the Downtown Dance Festival, today the Battery Dance Festival (BDF) is New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Audiences are traditionally drawn from the large downtown working population and residents, families, tourists, senior citizens and dance fans from the greater NYC metropolitan area. Each year, the Festival attracts a combined audience of over 12,000 people.
 
The Battery Dance Festival provides a unique opportunity for both established and emerging dance companies to present original works of high artistic merit in a free public forum. BDF revels in the panoply of dance that our city offers, with strong emphasis on the inclusion of diverse dance styles and an international roster of performers. American choreographers such as Michelle Dorrance, Robert Battle and Elisa Monte have all presented their works alongside pre-eminent companies from Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and the Caribbean.
 
This year’s featured artists include:
Akerman/Jansen
Amy Marshall Dance Company
Ariel Rivka Dance
Ballet Inc.
Battery Dance
Buglisi Dance Theatre
Erv Works Dance
Fadi J. Khoury’s FJK Dance
Janis Brenner
Mari Meade Dance Collective (MMDC)
Martha Graham School
Maxine Steinman & Dancers
Nadine Bommer Dance Company
Peridance Contemporary Dance Company
SLK Ballet
SYnC Dance Company
Tina Croll
The Movement Playground
Trainor Dance
Trezon Dancy
Wilder Project
IAAC Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance (August 15)
 
International Companies:
Bollylicious (Belgium)
Cia. Elías Aguirre (Spain) 
Compañía de Danza Contemporánea de República Dominicana (Dominican Republic)
Mophato Dance Theatre (Botswana)

Support for the 2017 Battery Dance Festival
American Express, Lead Sponsor; Holiday Inn Manhattan-Financial District, Exclusive Hospitality Sponsor.  Public Funds have been provided by New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York City Councilmember Margaret Chin’s Office. Generous sponsorship provided by Goldman Sachs, Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic, First National Bank Botswana, Botswana Tourism Organization, Flemish Ministry of Culture, Spanish Embassy in Washington, Teatros del Canal, Comunidad de Madrid, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Waterway.

ABOUT BATTERY DANCE
Battery Dance created its outdoor festival in 1982 as part of its engagement with its home community of lower Manhattan where it has been based since its founding in 1976.  As one of America’s leading cultural ambassadors, Battery Dance connects the world through dance. The Company pursues artistic excellence and social relevance by creating vibrant new works, performing on the world’s stages, presenting dance in public spaces, serving the field of dance and teaching people of all ages with special attention to the disadvantaged and areas of conflict. Battery Dance is committed to enhancing the cultural vibrancy of its home community in New York City, extending programming throughout the U.S., and building bridges worldwide through international cultural exchange with programs in 70 countries to date. www.batterydance.org

As a dance maker, I feel trepidation when creating for an outdoor performance. The fear of competing with nature to win the audience’s attention and reverence may be too real a threat. As an audience member though, it is truly a treat. The setting for the 36th Annual Battery Dance Festival left me attentive and revering its majesty. The Hudson River shimmered in the fluorescent colors of dusk and the distant city scape thrived in our city’s liveliness. If the choreographers felt the pressure to outperform the natural beauty, it surely did not show. Each of the seven works presented on Monday, Aug 14, proved strong, assured, and a welcomed component in the coalescence of public city life and dance. The evening progressed as a well-oiled machine — strictly curated, organized, and well executed. This is a testament to the festival’s 36 years of presenting dance. The choreographers and companies were national and international artists ranging from the Dominican Republic, Spain, and the boroughs of New York City. Between each performance a representative of the Battery Festival gave a brief introduction to each dance. Though there were subconscious, looming biases that emerged in their …Read more