For Immediate Release – Contact: Meredith Sladek, msladek@snug-harbor.org, (718) 425-3515

Friday, July 22, Staten Island, NY— Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is excited to present the inaugural Snug Harbor Dance Festival.  The event takes place on Saturday, August 6 from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM and August 7 from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM, staged throughout the grounds of Snug Harbor’s historic 83-acre campus on 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301. Admission costs for classes and workshops varies and advance registration is strongly encouraged. More information, including the schedule of events and tickets are at bit.ly/2022SHDF.

The Snug Harbor Dance Festival features performances and activations by Catherine Galasso (PASS artist in residence at Snug Harbor), Rochelle Jamila Wilbun, Pigeonwing Dance Company, Ballet Imagination, Bella Ru Dance Company, Kinesis Project dance theatre, 36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea, Anjoli Chadha, Melisande Echanique, and more. Event partners include MakerPark Radio, New York Public Library, The (G)eneration Project, and New York Public Library New West Brighton Branch.

“Snug Harbor is proud to present the robust Staten Island dance scene in this inaugural two-day festival that showcases the talent, vision and innovation that is created on our site every day,” said Jessica Baker Vodoor, President & CEO of Snug Harbor. “We are grateful to our board member Kevin Chau for investing in dynamic dance experiences for our Staten Island community.”

“Snug Harbor is a vibrant haven for dance through residencies, rehearsal spaces, and unique performance venues,” said Melissa West, the Vice President of Curation, Visual and Performing Arts at Snug Harbor. “The Snug Harbor Dance Festival is an exciting new opportunity to amplify the many dance artists and students who have been a part of our campus for many years. We are especially eager to welcome visitors of all ages to experience the joy of dance as a connective and celebratory force through two days of classes, workshops, performances, and a community dance party.”

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 | DAY 1

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Introduction to Ballet Class with Ben Caref

The Dance Center, Leah Mitchell Studio – G202

All levels welcome | Pay what you wish: $5-15 suggested admission

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Contemporary Dance with Lydia Bellach Ruocco

The Dance Center, Studio – G201

All levels welcome | Pay what you wish: $5-15 suggested admission

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Performance of City of Wom_n: HARBOR PORTRAITS by Catherine Galasso

Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art | Main Hall Gallery (Building C)

Free

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Performance by Rochelle Jamila Wilbun
Snug Harbor Wetlands

Free

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dance Party NYC!

All ages | Cottage Row

Free

In partnership with Maker Park Radio and with pop-up activities from Anjoli Chadha, The (G)eneration Project: Immigrants Are Us, and the West New Brighton Library

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 | DAY 2

11:00 AM – 7:00 PM: Video Installation | 36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea

Shinbone Alley archway entrance near Parking Lot P3

Free

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Ballet Class with Ballet Imagination

The Dance Center, Leah Mitchell Studio – G202

All levels welcome | Pay what you wish: $5-15 suggested admission

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Beginner Hip Hop Class with Ronnie Rivera

The Dance Center, Studio – G201

All levels welcome | Pay what you wish: $5-15 suggested admission

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Performance, Snug Harbor Choreographers Showcase

RCSF Tuscan Garden

Free

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Workshop, Creating Site-Specific Dances with Melissa Riker/Kinesis Project dance theatre

New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden – check in at Cottage D porch

Recommended for choreographers/dancers and movers of all levels, all are welcome | Pay what you wish: $5-15 suggested admission

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Performances: The Carpet Series by Pigeonwing Dance

RCSF Tuscan Garden | Performances at 5:30 PM, 6:00 PM, 6:30 PM, and 7:00 PM

Free

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Guided Walk: 36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea

Meet at Shinbone Alley archway entrance near Parking Lot P3. The group will walk together to the Snug Harbor Wetlands

Free

The Snug Harbor Dance Festival is generously sponsored by Kevin Chau. This program is made possible with support from Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, The New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

ABOUT SNUG HARBOR CULTURAL CENTER & BOTANICAL GARDEN
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden offers dynamic programming in the arts, horticulture, and agriculture for diverse communities and all ages, on our historic 83-acre campus. We envision being a locally impactful, globally renowned destination, true to our values of artistic vibrancy and community, inclusion and discovery, stewardship and conservation.

Snug Harbor is the result of more than four decades of restoration and development to convert a 19th-century charitable rest home for sailors into a regional arts center, botanical gardens and public park.  One of the largest ongoing adaptive reuse projects in America, Snug Harbor encompasses 26 historic structures, 14 botanical gardens, a 2.5-acre urban farm, wetlands, forests and park land on a free, open campus.  Snug Harbor is a proud Smithsonian Affiliate organization. Learn more at snug-harbor.org.