GATHER ROUND: LET'S DANCE to Return to Manhattan West This Fall
Free Wednesday performances will include LayeRhythm, Sekou McMiller & Friends, Brooklyn Contra, and Josh Lee and the Family.
Manhattan West will host Work & Process's pop-up dance and music series for the fourth year. Known for its performing arts programming at Guggenheim New York, Work & Process returns to Manhattan West with live bands, dance lessons, and performances by celebrated New York artists. Each week offers something different, from Afro-Latin Dance and Swing to Contra to Freestyle!
Free performances take place on Wednesdays in September from 5-6:15pm on Manhattan West Plaza in Midtown! For more information, please visit https://www.worksandprocess.org/.
SCHEDULE:
September 9: LayeRhythm
September 16: Sekou McMiller & Friends: Mambo Dance Party
September 23: A Barn Dance with Brooklyn Contra
September 30: New York Swings with Josh Lee and the Family
9/9: LAYERHYTHM:
Rooted in the raw energy and creative brilliance of freestyle movements like house dance, litefeet, flexN, breaking, and locking, LayeRhythm creates street/club music and dance experiences built on live improvisation, where the audience's energy and ideas shape what happens on the floor in real time, dissolving the boundaries between spectators and artists. Join LayeRhythm for a performance of live music and street dance, ending with an open dance floor for all! Founder and house dance specialist Mai Lê Hô brings together artists historically under-recognized in the traditional performing arts landscape.
9/16: Sekou McMiller & FRIENDS:
Learn how to mambo like they used to in New York's legendary Palladium Ballroom, where the social dance movement was born! Sekou McMiller & Friends host an intergenerational Mambo social dance party and lesson featuring elders from the Palladium with a live music performance by the Palladium Mambo Band. All are welcome for this intergenerational celebration of Dance and community.
9/23 BROOKLYN CONTRA:
Join us for A Barn Dance With Brooklyn Contra, presenting New York's most approachable social dance! There will be live music from the Some Assembly Required Quintet playing joyous, dynamic interpretations of traditional Appalachian and Irish tunes to help you whirl away the night. Contra dance is an easy-to-learn folk dance similar to square dancing with some swing dance flair. Originating in northern Appalachia based on English and French formal dances, contra is now danced around the country by multi-generational communities. No partner necessary and all dances are taught before the dance!
9/30 NEW YORK SWINGS with JOSH LEE AND THE FAMILY:
New York Swings brings the excitement of Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz dance to stages around the world. They share their signature playfulness, athleticism, and historically grounded dedication to the craft to new audiences. Led by choreographer and community driver, Gaby Cook, with a cast of New York's most talented dancers in the field.
Josh Lee and the Family is a Philadelphia-based ensemble dedicated to honoring the musical and dance traditions of the swing era. Led by Grammy-Winning saxophonist Josh Lee, the band plays classics from composers like Basie, Ellington, Buck Clayton, and more, as well as original music inspired by those historic bands. As a member of the Count Basie Orchestra, Josh has devoted his life to keeping this incredible music alive for generations to come.
