2020 Special Holiday Programs announced!
Though our regular QDF season is over, we felt an overwhelming need to keep our community dancing and stay connected as we enter the colder months of COVID. Join us on our Instagram LIVE for some special holiday dance classes and presentations!
Detox Dance Class series: Thanksgiving Weekend
Dance Class Schedule
November 27, 28, and 29 1:00-4:00 PM daily (6o minute classes)
Friday November 27
1:00 PM: Celebrate Your Roots with Crystal Ife Sekhem
A high energy, uplifting dance class introducing Traditional West African Dance movement. Learn fun dance steps to drum beats while working up a sweat and great cardio!
2:00 PM: Fun Bellydance basics with Noora Aprhodite
Learn the 9 fundamental positions of hip and full body movements at the core of Classical Bellydance technique, to make fabulous sinuous steps! You'll also learn the rhythms of vibrant Middle Eastern music, as well as fun and easy dance combinations to get you bellydancing right away.
3:00 PM: Nutcracker Barre Day 1! with Ashley Talluto
Ballet dancer Ashley Talluto of Long Island City School of Ballet will bring you and your family through the fantastical journey of classic holiday ballet, The Nutcracker! A festive open-level ballet class that will bring a different Nutcracker theme each day this weekend.
4:00 PM: Holiday Funk with Marc Nunez
An upbeat dance class of street jazz and hip-hop styles, where you're welcome to turn class into a party!
Saturday November 28
1:00 PM: Lit and Fit with Oceana
An aerobic dance mix of of soca, hip-hop, and African that starts with a warms you up and gently cools you down to nourish the body. Bring a handkerchief to dance with and get ready for a full body dance out!
2:00 PM: 'Stronger Together. We're All Stars!' Musical Theater Choreography from Broadway's Mean Girls
Taught by Broadway dancer Tovi Wayne, this class is an energetic, feel good, and physical class where you'll learn a dance combination from the show's finale called STARS. Keep the Broadway spirit alive!
3:00 PM: Nutcracker Barre Day 2! with Ashley Talluto
Ballet dancer Ashley Talluto will bring you and your family through the fantastical journey of classic holiday ballet, The Nutcracker! A festive open-level ballet class that will bring a different Nutcracker theme each day this weekend.
4:00 PM: Swing 'n Jive with Paul and Lulu
This ballroom style dance class will teach some basic swing and jive steps in the holiday spirit! Get as fancy or complex with your dance moves as you like. If you've got a loved one in the room with you, a dance partner is not required but definitely welcome fun!
Sunday November 29
1:00 PM: Dance and Stretch it Out with Elisabetta Minutoli
This class is a chance to express yourself! Warm up includes yoga and Gyrokinesis elements to establish balance and alignment. Learn contemporary movements that you can adapt to reflect your own style and sentiments-- give yourself the freedom to get into your body!
2:00 PM: Feel Good Hip-Hop with Queen TuT
Come join Queen TuT and get your bodies up moving & grooving with some feel good hip-hop! Invite your friends, cousins, and roommates to learn some great moves you can take to the party this holiday. We will also give you a great stretch to shake out those arms and legs from too much sitting at home. Enjoy some good music while we break it down!
3:00 PM: Final Nutcracker Barre! with Ashley Talluto
Ballet dancer Ashley Talluto will bring you and your family through the fantastical journey of classic holiday ballet, The Nutcracker! A festive open-level ballet class that will bring a different Nutcracker theme each day this weekend.
4:00 PM: African Dance Rhythms with Lenea Stevens
Your holiday weekend comes full circle, ending with the energetic beats and movements of West African dance! Open level for all to learn various steps and arm motions while keeping cardio and spirit uplifted!
Queensboro Dance Festival thanks the Long Island City School of Ballet (@licballet) for collaborating on this series!
December: Holiday Dancing Around the World's Boro!
Thank you for an amazing season amidst the most challenging of times
Dance cultures represented during this 2020 season included Hula, Tap, Modern, Bellydance, Hip-Hop, Flamenco, West African, Cumbia, Kathak, Street Jazz, Greek, Ballroom, and Chinese. Many of the danceworks premiering have been created, inspired by, or rehearsed virtually in quarantine.
Hear from last year's dancers and audiences!
"Lincoln Center, City Center quality dances, the performers were excellent...I've never been here, I'm glad this was the thing that I saw for the very first time..." ~ Audience member
What is the Queensboro Dance Festival?
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Free Dance Performances & Classes
From May to October every year, the Queensboro Dance Festival is a tour featuring Queens-based dance companies of diverse cultures & styles. We tour various indoor & outdoor venues throughout Queens neighborhoods, offering free performances, dance classes, and other unique ways to connect Queens audiences to local dance.
The Queensboro Dance Festival also serves as a Queens career resource for dancers by providing access to free rehearsal space, dance classes, workshops, teaching opportunities, professional development workshops, and artist meetups.
Our mission is to strengthen the dance community in Queens, and garner a greater appreciation for Queens dance.
Our Milestones
What started in 2014 as a 4-night production in a local theater, the Queensboro Dance Festival reached its vision in our 5th anniversary season in 2018, launching as a full performance tour across Queens theaters, parks, plazas, and libraries, reaching over 20 neighborhoods. Beginning that season as a Queens Pride Honoree for our community work, 2018 boasted 26 diverse dance companies from Queens, 31 performances and classes, and 21 dance work premieres. We also hosted international group the Inner Mongolia Performance Arts Troupe as their NYC debut right here in Queens.
We continued to grow in our 2019 season, and closed the year as the inaugural recipient of TFC Best of Arts & Humanities Award.
Now in QDF 2020, we all come together in a new way as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis as a community. We are committed to being here for our dancers and our public. Join us on our virtual tour to interact with our Queens dance companies this year. Dance with us!
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Neighborhood Community Engagement
Every show on tour is a different line-up of Queens companies of all cultures and styles, featuring various audience activities including Question & Answer sessions with the dancers, dance games, and our QDF Dancebacks, where audience members get to take a mini dance lesson with our companies. Be sure to follow us, subscribe, and check back here for announcements!
Photo credits: Josef Pinlac, Noel Valero, Reiko Yanagi, QDF staff
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