Dance Party
Dance Party returns to Bryant Park and celebrates its 10th anniversary season with ten styles of dance over six nights! Dance Party events will take place every Wednesday and Thursday from May 1 to May 16. At each event, attendees meet at the iconic Bryant Park fountain to learn basic steps with expert instructors at 6pm. Afterwards, participants can test out their new moves to live music performed by a diverse selection of bands from 7pm-8:30pm.
This year's series kicks off with New York City's signature brand of Salsa and R&B – as well as Dance Party’s 50th all-time performance – served up by Uptown Royalty (5/1); followed by hits from Disco’s golden era from The Disco Nights (5/2); Bachata Tradicional with Bachata sensation Judy Santos (5/8); Lindy Hop from award-winning vocalist and bandleader Charles Turner & Uptown Swing (5/9); a night of Motown-inspired dance music from KD Browne (5/15); and a four-hour closing night event dubbed with Latin Festival, featuring four different dance genres – Charanga, Cuban Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, and Salsa Dura – with the help of two legendary Latin dance bands, La Charanga Pacha and Jimmy Bosch Salsa Masters (5/16).
Hosted and Produced by Talia Castro-Pozo
Dance Instruction at 6pm
Live Music and Dance at 7pm
Wednesday, May 1
Salsa Soul Sizzle:
Salsa and R&B with Uptown Royalty
Thursday, May 2
Do the Hustle:
Disco with The Disco Nights
Wednesday, May 8
Bachata and the City:
Bachata Tradicional with Judy Santos
Thursday, May 9
Swing Fling:
Lindy Hop with Charles Turner & Uptown Swing
Wednesday, May 15
Dancing in the Streets:
Motown with KD Browne
Thursday, May 16
Latin Festival (6pm - 10pm)
Charanga, Cuban Salsa, Cha Cha Cha & Salsa Dura
with La Charanga Pacha and Jimmy Bosch Salsa Masters
Complimentary bag check is availible at Dance Party events. Our friendly staff can help store your belongings near our Petanque courts, just north of the Shop + Info booth.
Attendees can enjoy cuisine from the five boroughs with a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors curated by Hester Street Fair.
Stout NYC also offers giant pretzels, gourmet popcorn and other light bites as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Events are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors, but may continue in light rain. Follow @bryantparknyc on Twitter and Instagram for day-of event updates.
Formerly “Peruvian Ballet Representative to the World,” Talía Castro-Pozo represented Peru in the most prestigious ballet competitions around the globe. Talía started dancing at the age of three, becoming the youngest soloist to join the National Ballet of Peru at age 14. After relocating to New York City to study at the prestigious School of American Ballet, she was able to expand her dance abilities by training in other forms of dance including, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Ballroom & Latin, among other styles. Talía graduated from the William Esper Studio, studied acting under Bill Esper, voice, and movement.
She is currently playing “Mona” for the Hulu limited mini series Fleishman Is in Trouble, where she is a recurring co-star alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes. She has also choreographed for television, movies, and commercials, including the TV series The Godfather of Harlem. She starred in the movie Isn’t It Romantic as principal dancer, as well as Falling in Rhythm, Summer of Sam, and Tango Finish Off-Broadway, among others.
As a dance coach she has trained professional dancers in partner dancing including Broadway dancers for choreographer Christopher Gattelli. Talia has managed numerous iconic dance studios in NYC and has taught master classes at BDC, Lincoln Center, Columbia University, NYU to name a few. As spokesperson and guest artist, she has been featured on NBC’s The Today Show with Patrick Swayze, Tiki Barber, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, The New York Times, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS, Univision, Telemundo, and celebrated as “The Woman of Salsa” by Latina Magazine. Talia is the face of hundreds of commercials and print campaigns in the U.S. and abroad, for companies such as: American Express, American Airlines, Discovery Channel, Expedia, Google, Yahoo, to name a few.
She is the producer of Latin Mondays at Taj, Sunset Salsa with Talia, Bryant Park Dance Party, and Midtown Dance. She is also a member of the International Dance Council, a Board Director of the Unspoken Smiles Foundation (which helps at-risk children develop healthy habits for life), and Board Member of Ballroom Basix USA, which provides school children physical, social, emotional, and cultural engagement through dance, serving more than 20,000 school children in over a hundred NYC schools.