Dear BDA Community,
While I have no idea who comes up with some of the crazy ideas behind national theme days, yesterday just so happened to be National Wiggle Your Toes Day!
At Boston Dance Alliance, we’re all about encouraging people to “wiggle it a little bit” but also recognize the importance of taking care of our bodies from head to toe.
So, today we encourage you to “kick up your feet” and once you’re ready to get back into the beat, check out all of the exciting opportunities below to dance through the week.
“On the good foot,”
Aaron Myers, Executive Director
One of our largest events of the year is almost here and we want to hear from you! As we work on organizing this year’s Open Call Audition and Dancer Health Day, let us know what you’d like to see happen this time around. With the goal of serving our community as best we can and with the understanding that the communities needs shifts in this dynamic industry, we have created a form for us to collect your thoughts on needs and wants. Please take 3-7 minutes to fill out this form and let us know how we can help you get what you need out of this day!
More information on this year’s Open Call Audition and Dancer Health Day coming soon!
Congratulations to BDA member Northeast Arts for their first anniversary! They recently marked one full year in their studios at Hope Central Church and have accomplished so much in this time:
- Held three free or low-cost performances at Northeast Arts Studio Theater, with more than 230 audience members.
- Held two Open Studios events with local artists and vendors.
- Hosted five incredible ballet artists for open Master Classes, two Summer Intensives and two variations workshops all focused on adult learners.
- Held open classes six days a week for 51 weeks!
- Provided hundreds of hours of rehearsal space for local dancers, community groups, actors and performers.
- Welcomed adults learning ballet for the first time through our Absolute Beginners program.
- Visited two Boston schools and one Summer Eats program for outreach events.
- Provided health, wellness and professional resources to local freelance dancers and small companies, including costume support, physical therapy, mindset workshops, meeting space and networking resources.
Support their work as they continue to make the Boston dance community richer.
BDA Member Events This Week
FREE! – Join MetaMovements for Sunset Salsa at The Park at Burlington Mall with performances, Salsa dance lessons, music corner, animaciones/follow alongs, and social dancing! Thursday, August 8, 6:00-8:30 PM at Burlington Mall’s outside green space, 75 Middlesex Turnpike , Burlington.
FREE! – Join The Hood Lockers at The Dance Complex for an all-levels Locking workshop. Friday, August 9, 6-8 PM at 536 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge.
The Margie Gillis Dance Foundation presents an emotional night of solo and duet dance performances at Windhover Center for the Performing Arts. Join the iconic Margie Gillis, along with dancers from her Legacy Project, in a suspended moment in time that showcases their somatic and inspiring artistry. Don’t miss this highlight of the summer dance performance calendar! Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10, 7 PM, 257R Granite Street, Rockport. Tickets: $20-$30.
FREE! – Join MetaMovements for three more sessions of Dancing on the Row: Latin Dance in ASL. Enjoy social dancing and animaciones to Latin music played by some of the best DJ’s in town. This year they are partnering with Silent Rhythms to feature Salsa dance lessons taught in American Sign Language (ASL). All Ages & All Abilities welcome! Every other Friday, August 9, August 23 and September 6, 6:00-8:30 PM at Assembly Row East, (near Smoke Shop BBQ) on green space, 375 Assembly Row, Somerville.
FREE! – Join A Trike Called Funk in their first ever Funk Fest: A Celebration of All Thangs Funky featuring music, dance and graffiti. The dance portion includes a class and performances by the Beantown Lockers, Sincere & Moon, the Hood Lockers and BDA’s very own Aaron Myers! Saturday, August 10, 1-4 PM, at 5 Columbia St., Central Square, Cambridge.
FREE! – Join the Boston Rhythm Riders for Line Dancing at Franklin Park’s Refectory Hill, between the Golf Clubhouse and Blue Hill Ave. Wednesdays through the end of the summer at 6:30 PM.
This week at Jacob’s Pillow, Parsons Dance takes over the Ted Shawn Theatre, Wednesday-Sunday. The Henry J. Leir Stage hosts Gibney Company for performances on Wednesday-Sunday.
Don’t miss the Dance Theatre of Harlem Master Classes at the Yard. Taught by Artistic Staff or Company Artists, these 90 minute master classes follow the standard form of warm-up at the barre, center work, and movement across the floor. Open to intermediate and advanced-level dancers, ages 16 and up. Thursday, August 8, Friday, August 9, and Saturday, August 10, 11 AM at The Vineyard Arts Project, 215 Upper Main Street, Edgartown. Registration: $28 per class.
FREE! – A fun, active community engagement activity, Dance Theatre of Harlem Dancing in the Streets Pop-Up Workshop is a 40-45 minute open-air event. Drawing on DTH Resident Choreographer Robert Garland’s Return, a brilliant mashup of ballet and classic social dancing, the public—all ages, all skills—is invited to participate in the fun and personal expression of an old-style Soul Train line. Starting with a warmup, DTH company artists teach the vocabulary and sequence of a section of Dance Theatre of Harlem Repertory. Set to the sounds of Motown, soul, and more, participants show off what they learned in an informal showing at the end of the workshop. No registration is required. Friday, August 9, 5 PM at 2 Seaview Ave, Oak Bluffs.
FREE! – Join the Lindy Hopcats for Swing in the Park, an evening of twirls and footwork. The Hopcats are a swing-obsessed group of dancers who host special dance events and online watch parties to provide opportunities to those who want to improve their Lindy Hop skills. This evening will be a spectacular opportunity to listen to great music, learn a trick or two, and experience what community is all about. Friday, August 9, 6-8 PM, at Centanni Park, outside the Multicultural Arts Center at 41 Second St. Cambridge, MA.
You’re invited to join the first installment of a monthly performance series at Vivid Oblivion. This month’s showcase Leaves Some Kind of Residue, will be a multi-disciplined performance of five artists, including dance, poetry and performance art, focusing on the female-gendered body. Featured artists: Laila J Franklin, Nora Stephens, Kledia Spiro, Joan/Bug Vaquera, NiFe Lucey-Brzoza. Friday, August 9 and Saturday, August 10, 7:30 PM at 288 Norfolk St 2A, Cambridge. Tickets: $10-$25.
All Things Dance Boston is bringing back “The Bridge Vol 2”. This event will be jumping from start to finish with plenty of dance on and off stage including dance cyphers, exhibition battles, performances, local vendors and a few fun surprises. This year’s incredibly diverse line up includes Lindy Hop, Afrobeats, Heels, Uprock, Hip Hop and many more! A live DJ and MC will be curating all of the good vibes throughout the night while the professional media team captures all of those Kodak moments. The Bridge Vol 2 aims to bring people together from all walks of life for a night of celebrating all cultures within and outside of dance, our artistic passions and everything in between, all while connecting and building new bridges for different communities to further explore. Saturday, August 10, 8 PM-1 AM at Sonia, 10 Brookline St. Cambridge. Tickets: $20-$25.
Pentacle’s Tour Ready Lab works with choreographers and dance companies who seek to maximize their booking conference experience, refine their touring knowledge and assets, and showcase during the APAP Conference in New York City. Tour Ready Lab aims to equip self-represented choreographers and companies with skills and materials necessary to increase the effectiveness and professionalism by which they conduct outreach to and engagement with presenters and other touring stakeholders. Apply by Tuesday, August 20, 6 PM.
Dance/USA announced a new round of the Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists (DFA) program, a national Fellowship program that offers unrestricted financial awards of $31,000 to individual dance and movement-based artists who work at the intersection of embodied and social practices. Applications open until Thursday, August 15.
We are thrilled to offer BDA members a 25% discount to this week’s 1-day intensive Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Training Workshop in Boston! This workshop is meticulously crafted for teachers who aspire to delve into the innovative and groundbreaking techniques pioneered by Marie Walton-Mahon. The technique was designed to help students improve their ballet/dance technique through a series of exercises that target specific muscles, leading to better balance, stability, and control. This workshop a fun, interactive, and informative way to learn from certified PBT instructors and network with other dance teachers in the field. This is a unique opportunity to learn new teaching techniques and methods and discover new ways to support your students. Saturday, August 10, 9 AM-5 PM, Northeast Arts, 85 Seaverns Ave., Jamaica Plain. Check your BDA Member portal or email info@bostondancealliance.org to redeem the discount code.