The most wonderful thing about New York City is the fact that there are so many artists dying to share their talent with us. New Yorkers have such a wide range of events to see, which is one of the reasons why it’s called “The City that Never Sleeps.” The Dance Gallery International Festival is one of those events that you need to see. This year was my first time attending and I am sure that I will be attending for many more years to come. If what I saw is the type of talent that I expect to see in the years to come I will definitely be following this Dance Festival and you should, too.
The Dance Gallery Festival was created by Astrid von Ussar and Mojca Ussar in 2007 and is now in its eighth year. The Dance Gallery Festival is made up of the actual Festival as a whole, which gives national and international choreographers and dancers a chance to showcase their talent; The Dance Gallery Up Close is also a part of the festival but was created to showcase pieces with smaller casts; and finally Level Up introduces three talented dance companies and choreographers who are ready to promote and develop their craft and companies further.
This year The Dance Gallery Festival was presented at the famous Ailey Citigroup Theater located at 405 West 55th Street, near Columbus Circle. I had the chance to see the matinee of The Dance Gallery Festival and was taken aback with the talent that I saw on stage. A lot of the performers like Dante Brown, Alessandra Giambelli, Mike Esperanza, were amazing; Noble Motion Dance was a real standout with their performance of “Dark Matter.” While Noble Motion Dance is based in Texas, it’s great that they were able to show their talent in New York City and gain more fans. I have become a new fan of this Texas-based company.
Each year the The Dance Gallery Festival has showcases in two states, New York and Texas. To learn more about The Dance Gallery Festival you can visit their website at www.dancegalleryfestival.com. Once there, you can learn more about The Dance Gallery Festival and Von Ussar Danceworks.
Twisted Talk: Are you familiar with the Dance Gallery Festival? What’s your favorite type of dance? Discuss below!
