Four free dance- and theatre-related summer events will be presented from July 25th through August 7th. Performed on the mainstage in Bryant Park (42nd St. and 6th Ave.), the activities will celebrate the diversity of American dance and Broadway – from ballet to jazz, Broadway to hip-hop, tap to modern--and will benefit both Dancers Responding to AIDS and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.On Wednesday, August 3rd at 1:30 PM and 6:00 PM, Dancing For Life! will be performed by "acclaimed companies from the modern, jazz and ballet world.. such as Battleworks-Nicholas Andre Dance-Ellis Wood Dance, dredance, Chinese Folk Dance Company, Francisco Avina, Peter Pucci Plus Dancers, Pilobolus, New York Theater Ballet, Dance Masters of America, Dance Spectrum, Colby Shinn, Stephen Petronio Company, Cedar Lake Ensemble, Lawrence Goldhuber, Groove Hoops, STREB, Moving Still and Thomas/Ortiz Dance. The emcee for the 1:30 PM show will be Kandice Pellietier--Ms. New York 2005--and the 6:00 PM performance will be emceed by Joe Lanteri – executive director of New York City Dance Alliance," states a press article.Broadway For Life! will be presented on Thursday, August 4th at 12:30 PM. The show "will be emceed by the Tony-nominated Broadway performer – Spamalot's Christopher Sieber. The highlight of the performance will be the appearance of cast members from Rentwho just completed filming the movie; they will perform "Seasons of Love" and "Finale B." Other highlights of the performance will be numbers from current Broadway (and off-Broadway) shows like Sweet Charity and Naked Boys Singing.Performers from many shows including Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Lion Kingwill also participate.
Danskin Presents Ballroom in Bryant Park will next be performed on Thursday, August 4th at 6:00 PM. Emceed by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, the performance "will feature many different genres of social dance including performances by American Ballroom Theatre, Dance Times Square, Stepping Out Studios, the winners from PS 257 Colors of the Rainbow Team Match Champions (as seen in the box office hit Mad Hot Ballroom) and many more Professional and Regional Amateur Ballroom Competitors. The show will be followed by a live dance class taught by Maria Torres and Luis Salgado – last seen in The Mambo Kings musical."The New York City Festival of Dance is sponsored in part by: Danskin, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The New York Times, Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, Continental Airlines, Lifestyle Media, and Doubletree Guest Suites.
