Accent Dance Announces New Fall Season Of Free And Cultural Programming

Accent Dance NYC, a dance and performance initiative that champions arts education in New York City and neighboring areas, announces a series of performances in Westchester, the Bronx and Manhattan through the fall to continue to provide open access to dance and arts education. Through the cultivation of new and existing partnerships with arts organizations, schools, and local communities, Accent Dance NYC offers several community performances and workshops that will celebrate the multiculturalism of our city and shine a light on Hispanic heritage and the voices of Latin artists through music and dance.

Fulfilling its commitment to providing public access to dance performances and education, Accent Dance NYC continues its partnership with the Pelham Art Center on August 28, participating in its Community Day in the Courtyard -- a day of free art projects, live music, and dance. Accent Dance NYC will showcase its multidisciplinary ensemble with works that fuse martial arts and ballet, as well as traditional tango and swing. Following the performance, the audience will participate in a short movement workshop to learn basic elements of tango as well as martial arts-based moves to improve focus, balance, and inner calm.

On September 12, Accent Dance NYC returns to the Bronx Music Heritage Center, paying tribute to the legendary Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe. Appearing as part of the BMHC's Bronx Rising! series to celebrate the borough's rich cultural, historical, and musical legacy, Accent Dance NYC will perform live outdoors in front of the BMHC's newly constructed building to reprise an ensemble work sung by Lavoe that was live streamed to audiences last year. Accent Dance NYC also will present a documentary film featuring interviews with Héctor Lavoe's still-living band members.

On September 17, Accent Dance NYC celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) with Regalo Hispánico, an evening of dance at the iconic Latinx theater on Manhattan's Lower East Side, Teatro Latea. The evening features a world premiere commission by Mexican choreographer, David Fernandez, highlighting a boy's journey through the pandemic. Exploring themes of Mexican Folk Art, mythical creatures, and the importance of family, the playful work is joined by the voices of other award-winning and emerging Latinx dancemakers and composers: Cuban choreographer Pedro Ruiz and Argentinian choreographer Dardo Galletto. Finally, as part of its mission to reach underserved students and communities, Accent Dance NYC will capture these works on film as part of its ongoing virtual educational programming, and further hopes to perform them live in schools throughout the five boroughs and Westchester.

Later in the fall, Accent Dance NYC will participate in the New Rochelle Arts Fest and host its second annual Let's Dance fundraising performance on November 6, at the Picture House in Pelham, New York. Offering extensive hybrid educational programming in communities of New York City, the Bronx and Westchester, Accent Dance NYC has reached over 4,000 school-age children to date with creative and nurturing programming that bolster children's cognitive skills, discipline, learning and communication. Accent Dance NYC, a 501c3 charity, seeks to raise funds to expand its programming to more communities in need over the coming year and beyond.

"We are thrilled to be able to share with our partner schools and arts organizations, and the community at large, a series of works brimming with beauty, creativity, and whimsy," notes Andrea Ziegelman, founder, and General Director of Accent Dance NYC. "While we continued to provide open access to virtual dance and arts education during the global pandemic for students, front line workers, and multicultural audiences, we look forward to offering live performances again to bring us closer even in times of ongoing uncertainty."