AUGUST SELECTS
Whoa derr, lotta good stuff in August! This month's bonus section is all about DANCE PARTIES! Plus lots of FREE, high quality things to do this month.
Saturday, August 17: Beach Sessions with Faye Driscoll at 106th Street, Rockaway Beach
Free! → Info Here
10 years of Beach Sessions! NOT TO BE MISSED! This August, Faye Driscoll’s newest work will situate itself within the sand, dunes, rocks and water. In Driscoll’s most expansive tableaux vivant yet, the work will be a continuation of her ongoing research into the capacity of the body, heightened senses and the intensified mass of a group. A large cast will descend upon the beach-as-stage, blurring the line between spectacle and life. Beach goers and audience alike will be immersed in a multi-sensory scene evolving in their midst.
Aug 1-3 + Aug 9-10: Open Call with NIC Kay, Nile Harris, Kayla Hamilton at The Shed
FREE! → Tickets Here → Info Here
Open Call is a large-scale commissioning program for early-career NYC-based artists by The Shed. These performances are free so we recommend getting tickets early. Don't worry though, you can always show up and wait in the standby line. The building is wildly impressive so take your time to explore the intricate architecture. NIC Kay’s "must have character" features a mascot and a drag performer in a day-long duet around The Shed’s public spaces. Nile Harris's "minor b" is a workshop performance inspired by jazz cornetist Buddy Bolden's life. Kayla Hamilton’s "How to Bend Down/How to Pick It Up" is an immersive dance performance exploring Black disabled imagination and world-building through historical spaces like the cotton field, Black church, and circus.
Ongoing: Life and Trust at Conwell Tower
If you're a fan of Sleep No More, then this show is right up your alley. The same producers are behind "Life and Trust,” an immersive show in an old bank. The dancers are incredible, and the set is like nothing you've ever seen. This is a multimillion-dollar production, and it shows. The set, the details, the location, it's a sensory overload but in the very best way. It's hard not to compare it to Sleep No More, so try not to... even though the masks are different! PS…the tickets are a little on the pricey side
Aug 11-17: Battery Dance Festival at Battery Park City
Free! → Info Here
A full week of diverse dancing awaits at the Battery Dance Festival, New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival. Each year the festival draws a combined audience of over 12,000 in-person viewers. The festival features an eclectic mix of international artists from across the globe, showcasing a vast array of styles, vibes, and cultures and the view is stunning!
Friday, August 2: Meshell Ndegeocello No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin at Celebrate Brooklyn! Prospect Park Bandshell
Free! → Info Here → Listen Here
Meshell + her band will perform her brand new album No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin on the Celebrate Brooklyn stage this Friday evening. Not only that, but she’ll be playing on what would have been Mr. Baldwin’s 100th birthday. Listen to Travel here, a chune!
Saturday, August 10: Automatic at Baby’s All Right
Upon first listen this trio could potentially be overlooked. However, they definitely have a certain je ne sais quoi and remind me of Suicide…except all women. Fun, moody, cinematic. I love their cover of New Sensations from the recently released Lou Reed Tribute Album The Power of the Heart …a LOT!
August 23-24: AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA BKLYN feat. Erykah Badu at Celebrate Brooklyn!
I truly love Afropunk and I’m sad that their amazing festival is no longer at Commodore Park. I saw Jill Scott there a few years ago and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. BUT, THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING COOL! They are at Celebrate Brooklyn this year and I’m excited for this team-up between two very sacred organizations. And Erykah Badu is playing on Aug 24! So far, they have only announced Ms. Badu. Look out for the full line-up drop.
Friday, August 16: Elori Saxl + Ana Fabrega at Public Records
Someone with great taste made this line-up happen. Elori Saxl is an incredible experimental electronic composer and I listen to her album The Blue of Distance several times a week. Then, you have Ana Fabrega on the line-up. A comic opening for an ambient electronic music set? Delightful!
Saturday, August 17: Jlin and Suzi Analogue at MoMA Sculpture Garden
Free! [with museum admission] → Info Here
Composers and electronic musicians Jlin and Suzi Analogue bring experimental beat-making approaches to MoMA in a doubleheader set! Jlin will perform music from her new album Akoma, which features Björk, Philip Glass, and Kronos Quartet, among others. Suzi Analogue’s set will weave a tapestry of sonic liberation, seamlessly fusing tracks from her latest record, ONEZ, with soul, footwork, techno, hip-hop, and an array of global selections from across her Afro-diasporic culture.
August bonus section is all dance parties :)
First Fridays: Eli Escobar ALL NIGHT LONG at House of Yes
Vibe: hip-hop, afrobeat, house, disco
Friday, August 2: Warm Up feat. Terrence Dixon, Laurel Halo (DJ), SADAF + Havoc on World at MoMA PS1
Vibe: forward-thinking minimal techno, electronica
Friday, August 9: GINJA feat. Ethan Tomas, DJ Moma, Mohogany + Sebastiao Loopes at Silo
Vibe: dance music from the African diaspora including Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall and Afrohouse
Saturday, August 17: Bedouin | Saga feat. DJs Bedouin, Trikk, Mia Moretti + Marten Lou at Knockdown Center (indoor and outdoor).
Vibe: Middle Eastern influences and contemporary electronic beats
Friday, August 23: Soul in the Horn Summer Series feat. Moodymann + Bilal at 99 Scott
Vibe: Hip-hop, soul, funk, r+b