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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JULY 11, 2025 | The Indian Eye 26

Battery Dance Festival Returns with

Renewed Energy and Global Resonance

Crowds of over 12,000 are expected to attend in person, with another 35,000 joining virtually.
Each evening’s lineup offers a unique blend of tradition and innovation

OUR BUREAU Hand by Damani Pompey and Sense of
Belonging by Faizah Grootens. These
New York, NY
new works were developed through
s summer warms the city’s sky- international collaborations and resi-
line, Battery Dance is set to dencies, further reinforcing the com-
Aelectrify New York once again pany’s role as a global cultural bridge.
with its signature blend of community Other standout participants in-
celebration, global artistry, and cultur- clude Buglisi Dance Theatre, now in its
al resilience. In August 2025, the com- tenth festival appearance; Taiwan’s Bu-
pany brings dance back to its roots in lareyaung Dance Company, known for
Lower Manhattan with two back-to- their indigenous-rooted performances;
back events that celebrate both rebirth and India’s Pallavi Krishnan, a leading
and artistic continuity: the reopening exponent of Mohiniyattam. Spanish
of Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park and the platform UNARTE and Romania’s
44th Annual Battery Dance Festival at Platforma 13 bring European flavor,
Rockefeller Park. while Indonesian troupe Wan Dance
The festivities begin on August 9 and Bangladeshi performer Mofassal
with a special evening performance to Alif add Southeast Asian depth.
mark the reopening of Wagner Park, The Festival’s eclecticism reflects
which has undergone a two-year trans- its roots. Originally conceived in 1982
formation as part of a coastal resilien- as an “art in the workplace” initiative,
cy initiative to safeguard Lower Man- the Battery Dance Festival offered
hattan from rising sea levels and storm lunchtime performances in downtown
surges. The program opens with a cer- public spaces. After Superstorm San-
emonial performance by Indigenous dy, it found a new home in Wagner
artist Marie Poncé, followed by tap Park, transforming into a nighttime cel-
sensation John Manzari and his band, ebration in 2013. With Wagner Park’s
a premiere by Turkish-Dutch choreog- temporary closure for redevelopment,
rapher Rutkay Özpinar, and a grand Wednesday’s program includes partners, artists, and our dedicated the Festival relocated to Rockefel-
finale by the acclaimed Limón Dance premieres from UNARTE of Spain team, we continue to provide beauty ler Park, where it continues today.
Company with José Limón’s timeless and Platforma 13 from Romania, and unity through dance.” As ever, Battery Dance remains
1964 work A Choreographic Offering. alongside returning favorites like BPCA President & CEO Raju a vital thread in New York’s cultural
The following week, from August Faizah Grootens of the Netherlands. Mann echoed the sentiment. “This fabric. From teaching underserved
12 to 16, Rockefeller Park will host the Thursday brings Buglisi Dance The- festival is a neighborhood favorite and communities to performing in 75
Battery Dance Festival, New York’s atre’s revival of Sospiri, and new an anchor of Battery Park City’s sum- countries, the company’s commitment
longest-running free public dance fes- works from Kar’mel Small and Dama- mer programming. We’re thrilled to to accessibility and global exchange is
tival. Over five nights, audiences will ni Pompey, while Friday marks “India host it again, both for Wagner Park’s unwavering. In a time of disconnec-
experience a remarkable showcase Day,” a celebration of Kerala’s classical reopening and five more magical tion and upheaval, the 2025 Battery
of talent featuring eight internation- and folk traditions with performances nights at Rockefeller Park.” Dance Festival invites audiences back
al and eight New York-based dance across five disciplines including Kath- Battery Dance itself presents two to the shared human experience—one
companies. From premieres and live akali, Mohiniyattam, and Theyyam. world premieres this year: Empty movement at a time.
music to cultural storytelling and The final evening on Saturday
cross-disciplinary collaborations, the features a global mix: Bangladesh’s
festival promises a journey through Mofassal Alif, Indonesia’s Wan
the universal language of dance. Dance, a world premiere by Dorchel
Crowds of over 12,000 are ex- Haqq, and more. Each performance
pected to attend in person, with an- celebrates identity, storytelling, and
other 35,000 joining virtually. Each community, all against the backdrop
evening’s lineup offers a unique blend of the Hudson River.
of tradition and innovation. Tuesday’s Artistic Director Jonathan Hol-
opening night features the return lander, who founded Battery Dance in
of John Manzari, performances by 1976, emphasized the festival’s endur-
Battery Dance and Pace University’s ing spirit. “We’ve survived the flood-
Dancing to Connect initiative, and the ing of Superstorm Sandy, the 2008
dynamic Colors by Taiwan’s Bular- financial crisis, and the aftermath of
eyaung Dance Company. 9/11,” said Hollander. “Thanks to our

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