The renowned David Dorfman Dance closes the second Contemporary Dance, alongisde all-female tap ensemble Soles of Duende.

Curated by Tiffany Rea-Fisher

David Dorfman Dance (DDD) creates movement that seeks to de-stigmatize the notion of accessibility and interaction in post-modern dance by embracing audiences with visceral, meaningful dance, music and text. By sustaining a vision to create innovative, inclusive, movement-based performance that is radically humanistic, DDD maintains a core commitment to examine and unearth issues and ideas that enliven, incite, and excite audiences in dialogue and debate about social change and a myriad of other topics. In advocating his mission “to get the whole world dancing,” Dorfman’s work has enjoyed broad and diverse audiences nationally and internationally. DDD has performed extensively throughout the world and has regularly performed in New York City at major venues including The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Joyce Theater, The Kitchen, Danspace Project/St. Mark’s Church, La MaMa, and more.

A Brooklyn-born Puerto-Rican from New Haven, a Mexican Puerto-Rican Jew from the Lower East Side, and a Bengali Indian from Jersey walked on to the wooden floor, and the rest? History. Bonded by their deep love of music, their crafts, and true connection, Soles of Duende is on a lifelong mission to elevate the joy and music of true collaboration across disciplines and the celebration of the forms they practice. Based in the sounds of Tap (Amanda Castro), Flamenco (Arielle Rosales) and Kathak (Brinda Guha), Soles of Duende’s fire is the spirit that lives within each of these women to celebrate their connection given their beautiful differences and to uplift the forms that made them.

Founded by Robert Joffrey in 1981, and under the Direction of Bradley Shelver, Joffrey Concert Group is a pre-professional performing ensemble that provides young artists from the School’s year-round Trainee Program the opportunity to experience life as a professional dancer. In the years since its inception, selected Trainees studied and performed some of the most celebrated classical and contemporary repertoire. This included the works of Gerald Arpino (Birthday Variations, Light Rain), Robert Battle (Battlefield), George Balanchine (Serenade), August Bournonville (La Ventana), Dwight Rohden (New Work), and Africa Guzman (The Stolen Path). The Concert Group has toured domestically and internationally, providing dancers the experience necessary to confidently transition from student to professional. Concert Group dancers have gone on to perform in premiere companies including Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, the Forsythe Company, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Joffrey Ballet.

Each year, National Dance Institute (NDI) transforms the lives of thousands of New York City public school children and their communities. Under the artistic direction of Kay Gayner and a staff of professional teaching artists, NDI uses dance and music to instill in students a love of the arts, a passion for learning, and a desire to strive for their personal best.

Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America is a free outdoor festival that welcomes all New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. The series provides a platform for extraordinary artists and serves as a vital outdoor venue for a wide array of New York’s cultural institutions. Find out more at https://bryantpark.org/activities/picnic-performances