The 39th annual Battery Dance Festival is New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Each year, the Festival draws a combined audience of over 12,000 people.

This year the festival goes virtual in lieu of the week-long in person program. As in previous years, the festival is free, but registration is required to save a virtual spot. The online performances take place from August 14 to 22, 2020 at 7PM, online on Youtube.

Battery Dance cherishes the tradition of introducing Festival audiences to wonderful dancers and dance companies from around the world. Going virtual provides access to different performances and new audiences.

Emma Evelein who performed at the 38th edition created a dance film called Sisters: https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/from-europe-japan/

Reuel Rogers, based in Curacao returns with Hero, a World Premiere: https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/from-battery-dance/

and Fractal Collective’s film From the Streets to the Seats is a U.S. Broadcast Premiere, connecting Amsterdam and New Amsterdam in a New York tribute: https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/tribute-to-nyc/

Furthermore, Emma Evelein will be teaching a workshop as part of the Festival.

Festival Dates and themes with Dutch works:

From Europe & Japan – Aug 17

From Battery Dance – Aug 21

From NYC – Aug 22

About the dancers and choreographers:

Emma Evelein graduated from the School of Arts Amsterdam with a focus on Urban/Contemporary and Music Theater. She danced with companies in Europe and Israel and trained with Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and Batsheva Dance Company. Now she has her own company and makes dance for theatre, film and music video. She won Amsterdam University’s AHK graduation prize in 2018 and the Kurt Jooss choreographic Prize in Germany in 2019.

Reuel Rogers (Curacao)

Reuel Rogers attended Codarts, the renowned dance academy in Rotterdam for one year, before returning to his home island where he has been performing, teaching and choreographing since. Mentorship through Battery Dance have combined with his own contemporary dance sensibilities, producing a style based in  urban dance, hip hop and breakdance, which he has modified in such a way as to earn him travel opportunities to China and Egypt for dance competitions, and performances in Nigeria and at the 2019 Battery Dance Festival.

Fractal Collective

Fractal Collective consists of four like-minded individuals that value urban arts as a form of expression. They believe that the possibilities of urban inspired dance, music and film go beyond the merely impressing of an audience. Urban arts, especially breakdancing, embodies both the power to express feelings and tell stories. Fractal’s vision encompasses that of making meaningful dance theater experiences integrating film, audio and other art forms alongside dance itself.