Celebrating Juneteenth, the Solstice, and Lives in Motion!

Performances

 

Collage of 8 images from this year's gala including honorees with their certificates, JMK speaking, Laura Sanchez dancing flamenco and Caitlin Canty standing holding a lit lamp.

 

Juneteenth on Monday, June 19 is our newest federal holiday!

Take the opportunity to learn, to celebrate, and to continue to work towards fulfilling the promise of liberation.

 

Photo of dancers on stage with loose tank tops and baggy pants gathered closely and reaching arms in different directions.

Juneteenth performance with Illstyle & Peace Productions creates eclectic work rooted in West African Dance, contemporary and old school hip hop blended with tap, ballet, DJing, and beatboxing. Illstyle & Peace Productions is dedicated to delivering a positive message that showcases how hip hop can be explored, deconstructed, and built back up again. Monday, June 19, 10-11 AM at the Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA.

 

Photo of two people looking at a painting.

See repertory work by performers of Abilities Dance Boston, which promotes intersectional disability rights, featuring music by Andrew Choe at the Museum of Fine Arts’ Juneteenth Event. Tickets available in person on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free with a valid Massachusetts zip code. Monday, June 19, 1:30 PM.

 

Illustration of aerialist on a lyra over a blurred pastel colorful background.

Spend Juneteenth with New England Black Circus. An all-Black cast of aerial and ground acrobats shares their stories and showcases their physical skills. Tickets are pay-what-you-can on a sliding scale. To reserve accessible seating, or if you are bringing a large group, please contact the Box Office at tickets@mosesianarts.org or 617-923-0100. Monday, June 19, 8 PM, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA.

 

Photo of five dancers standing in a body of water that comes up to their thighs looking away from the camera.

Deborah Abel Dance Company invites you to Bhakti Modern: Meditation in Motion | Water is Life. Join in this movement flow video and feel your focus turn inward as you allow the movements to wash through you without concern for form. This is a 10 minute movement phase followed by 15 minutes of sound meditation.

 

Illuminate poster with event info and QR code to sign up for a time slot.

Illuminate (2023: Chelsi Alise Cocking) is an interactive art installation in which the movement of a person in space is augmented and brought to life in real time through custom interactive visualization software. The installation is concerned with the poetic implications of making the invisible trails of our human movement visible. From Sunday, June 18 to Saturday, June 24, the public can play with it, dance with it and interact with this special installation at the MIT Music and Theater Arts Building (W97) – Room 160, 345 Vassar St., Cambridge, MA.

 

Swing dance poster with information in black font over a plain white background and an illustration of a couple dancing together.

Outdoor swing dancing with live music is coming to the John Paul Jones Park in Kittery this summer. Admission is free (donations for the musicians are gratefully accepted). Weather permitting, join the first event featuring Claudia and Some Familiar Faces on Monday, June 19, from 6-8 PM . Come to dance.

 

Three performers in traditional native wear look at a body of water

Danza Orgánica’s film: Ohke Kah Nippi Mehquontamūonk (Earth and Water Memory), is included in the 25th Annual Roxbury International Film Festival, the largest festival in New England that celebrates people of color around the world, happening June 20-July 2.

 

Group of people dancing in pairs on a grassy outdoor area.

The City of Beverly hosts two separate “Salsa by the Sea” events in Lynch Park (55 Ober St., Beverly, MA), the first on Tuesday, June 20 and the second on Tuesday, July 11, from 6-8:30 PM. Participants can learn the basics of salsa or practice their moves at these two free outdoor gatherings. Each evening starts with 45 minutes of instruction given by Franklin Condori aka DJ Condori. Come on your own or with a partner, no experience necessary. *In case of rain, event will move to the park’s Carriage House.

 

Two dancers interact and hide most of their bodies behind a totem constructed of different cubes with different parts of the human face in different skin tones.

Directed by Fernadina Chan in partnership with Continuum Dance Project (CDP) co-director, Adriane Brayton, Not Eye, Us is an immersive dance-theatre work exploring the intersection of gaze and power through a multi-layered connection to Michael Alfano’s sculpture ‘Cubed’. Through manipulation of the sculpture’s nine moveable pieces, each pigmented with a different skin tone, Not Eye, Us examines individual diversity within a united community; propelling the audience and performers on an interactive journey. Made possible  by the Boston Dancemakers Residency, a partnership between Boston Dance Alliance and Boston Center for the Arts, there are in-person performances at the Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St, Boston.on Thursday, June 22, 7:30 PM, Friday, June 23, 8PM (this performance will be recorded: by purchasing tickets to the show, you agree to appear on video) and Saturday, June 24 | 8PM

Free virtual performance: Monday, June 26 – Friday, July 14, (up to 20 day online access).

 

Savitri poster with event information displayed over a photo of a performance in which dancers are lined up behind each other moving arms at different heights.

Catch Kavya Prasad in the Cambridge Chamber Ensemble’s Savitri. In this tale of love and loyalty, death comes to claim Savitri’s husband, the noble woodsman Satyavan. But Savitri, by her love and loyalty to Satyavan, captures Death in her spell and he spares Satyavan. Thursday, June 22-Saturday, June 24, 7:30 PM and Sunday, June 25, 3 PM at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, East Cambridge.

 

City Wide Dance Party poster with illustration of a dancer in a hinge and open arms. Event information displayed around the centered illustration.

The City’s Dance Party is back! Join thousands of Cambridge residents and visitors on Mass. Ave. in front of Cambridge City Hall for a  social dance extravaganza with DJ spun music. After dark, colorful lights will add to the magic of the evening.  This event is free and open to the public. Friday, June 23, 6-10 PM.

 

Three dancers on a wooden floor stage in black capri length pants and red shirts hold one leg bent in a parallel passé while on relevé and around their arms above their head as they curve their upper body on a diagonal towards their left side.

The Olga Dunn Dance Company brings “Favorite Pieces and Excerpts” to the Windhover Performing Arts Center, Rockport, MA., on Friday, June 23, 7 PM. The program showcases some of the most popular dances from the group’s repertory, highlighting solos and trios, all contemporary in style.  Accompanying music ranges from Bach to Billie Holliday to 60’s songs. Ava Girard, Kate Chester, and Jane Singer are the featured dancers.

 

Cover for BAM Fest: orange background for illustration of the top half of a face and an afro filled with cultural elements and symbols.

Dance it all out at the  BAMS Festival Beat Feet Dance Zone,  a high-energy, outdoor interactive experience, where attendees learn a wide range of dance styles from New England-based choreographers of color. There is also a freestyle battle, where the music inspires all dancers to present their creative dance skills. All ages welcome. Saturday, June 24, 12:00-5:30 PM at Franklin Park.

 

MEET poster with colorful bright abstract illustrations o the left side and darkness on the right.

Join SomArt Space artists at MEET, a space where artist meet through improvisation and performance. Can’t make it, but want to join in on the next one? Sign up/keep in touch. RSVP required. Saturday, June 24, 6 PM at SomArt Space @ Assembly, 495 Artisan Way, Somerville, MA.

 

Mission Hill Arts Festival Poster with "Exuberance" written on it several times in a column.

The exciting 2023 Mission Hill Arts Festival on Saturday, June 24, 6 PM spotlights Jalen Bunch, a dancer and choreographer currently a BFA student at Boston Conservatory. Bunch presents the world premier of “Finding Joy: A Celebration in Dance“, inviting you to consider where you find joy and how you make it your own. Using a SOMi-1 wearable sensor that will translate their movement into spontaneous music in real time, Bunch and their group create unique art that celebrates exuberance in our lives.

 

Many dancers gather together with nude tops and white tutus and form an elegant circle while every dancer holds a different position.

For the first time ever, The Jacob’s Pillow exclusive Gala performance can be viewed via live stream through a choose-what-you-pay model. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the future of Jacob’s Pillow from anywhere in the world, featuring: Lil Buck, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Bill Irwin, The School of Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, and Dorrance Dance. Saturday, June 24, 6:00pm – 7:30 PM.

 

Flamenco at Starlight poster with event information over a collage of photos of dancers from previous flamenco performances.

This year Flamenco at Starlight  highlights passionate flamenco dance students from our community and celebrates their commitment and hard work. Saturday, June 24, 7 PM for free at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive LOT #5 Cambridge, MA.

 

Folktales Fables and Feasts poster with multiple illustrations of each character in the stories: a fox, a ram, a rooster, a cat, a swan, a seagull, a phoenix, and photos of the performers as the ram, rooster and cat.

Boston-based KAIROS Dance Theater and vocal ensemble Renaissance Men join forces for a cabaret-style performance, Folktales, Fables & Feasts, inspired by centuries of music and morality tales. Among the new works in the show are “Foxy,” a contemporary dance based on Stravinsky’s early 20th century opera-ballet, Renard, which the composer built from a Russian folktale and incorporated voices as instruments into the orchestration. KAIROS also premieres “Tavernous,” inspired by the In Taberna section of the medieval poem known as the Carmina Burana, whose odes to inebriation and gluttony were set to music in a 1930s cantata by composer Carl Orff.
Saturday, June 24, 7:30 PM and Sunday, June 25, 3:00 PM at the Tsai Performance Center in Boston.

 

Dance Party poster with rainbow stripes on upper left and bottom right corners.

Happy Pride Month! Flying Squirrel Studio is hosting a heels dance party on Saturday, June 24, 8 PM to raise funds for the Trevor Project! Class will be taught by the fabulous Dee Marie. Get your groove on to the music of some of your favorite LGBTQ+ artists. Heels optional, refreshments provided. Additionally, get on the photo shoot raffle for only $10 donation! The studio is located on 167 Bow Street, Unit 206A, Everett, MA.

 

Four dancers in white tops and blue loose pants hold different shapes in movement.

Catch Los Angeles-based Benita Bike’s DanceArt in Concert at the Dance Complex. This program will feature the East Coast premiere of the “ME Dances” and 4 other works. Saturday, June 24, at 8 PM and Sunday, June 25, at 7 PM.

 

Person in white long dress holds on to a rope wrapped on a diagonal across chest and shoulder.

As a part of the Mobius at Eustis Multidisciplinary Art Series, dance and movement artists Alissa Cardone and Sara June, interdisciplinary artist Thomas Mackie, performance artist Jeff Huckleberry, and special guest musician Chris Brokaw present unique performances, movement pieces, and mixed media works inspired by the Eustis Estate and landscape. These works promise to offer a vibrant interpretation of the estate in a never before experienced afternoon on the grounds. Sunday, June 25, 2-4 PM at Eustis Estate, 1424 Canton Avenue, Milton, MA. *Performances will be moved indoors in case of inclement weather.

 

Three male-presenting people hug each other in an open semi-circle as if inviting the viewer to join.

“Festivo!” is a free Funk Styles Freestyle Showcase featuring Popping & Locking by members of Slaughter House Kingz and BeanTown Lockers that doubles as a promo for the upcoming Latin-themed “Soul Controller” jam. co-hosted by A Trike Called Funk, “Festivo!” will be taking place Sunday, June 25, 4-8 PM at Zone3 (267 Western Ave., Brighton).

 

 

Photo of Fourth Dimension Tap Company dancers gathered together smiling.

Fourth Dimension Tap Company is holding another audition on Sunday, June 25, 4:00-5:30 PM at Mass Motion Dance Boston. If you are not able to attend in person, email fourthdimensiontapco@gmail.com to learn more about submitting a virtual audition! FDTC is an advanced professional tap company based in Boston, MA with the goal of providing professional opportunities to Boston area tap dancers while presenting work that is accessible to a wide audience.

 

"B" in an old-style fancy font as the logo for the Boston Globe.

Karen Campbell is gathering information on dance performances happening between July 16 and September 10 for the Boston Globe’s Late Summer Arts Guide. If you have events you’d like considered for the issue’s dance picks, please send her info by Monday, July 3 for consideration: karencampbell4@rcn.com. Please include:

  • What (title, basic content info)
  • Who (creators, performers)
  • When (dates and time)
  • Where
  • How much
  • Website for more info

 

Activist Organization call with information displayed over predominantly yellow background.

Register to reserve a table on Advocacy Way at the Dance for World Community Festival. The Festival brings together dance artists, activists and enthusiasts to celebrate and raise awareness about the local and global issues that matter most to the entire community. All are welcome to join the celebration. Apply by August 1. For further questions contact: Kevin Bradley Jr. at kbradley@ballettheatre.org.

 

Indigenous artists celebrate the summer solstice in dance styles ancient and new. How will you mark the height of summer?

 

We were delighted to see so many of you in person last Thursday, and are still basking in the warmth of our community coming together to celebrate those who have made such important contributions over the years — Steve Adelson, Ann Brown Allen, Deborah Mason and Dianne Walker.

We especially want to thank those who bought “sponsor a dancer” tickets.

Please consider making an end of fiscal year tax-deductible donation to BDA before June 30.

Thank you, Happy Juneteenth and Happy Solstice!

__________
Debra Cash, Executive Director