A special Juneteenth Celebration closes this season's Contemporary Dance Series, featuring Josh Johnson, Music From The Sole, Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, and more.
Josh Johnson is a Harlem native who tap-danced on the trains of New York City to pay for college at Penn State University. The New York Times and Reader’s Digest have covered his amazing story of hard work, persistence and positivity. Since Spring of 2012, Josh has appeared on many national television shows sharing his life story and performing for audiences. Josh Johnson has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and has made multiple appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He’s been a Red Carpet Correspondent on the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, and has been featured on Dancing With the Stars in an AT&T Spotlight Performance.
Music From The Sole is a tap dance and live music company that celebrates tap's Afro-diasporic roots, particularly its connections to Afro-Brazilian dance and music, and its lineage to forms like house dance and passinho (Brazilian funk). Led by Brazilian choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and by composer Gregory Richardson, their work embraces tap’s unique nature as a blend of sound and movement, incorporating wide-ranging influences like samba, passinho, Afro-Cuban, jazz, and house.
The mission of Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, Inc., is to provide an environment where student artists from diverse ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds can achieve the highest levels of excellence through positive collaborations with teachers and peers. The mission is achieved through various programs including year-round mentorship and support. EMDOD's teachers and staff ensure that every student is welcomed and celebrated in a non-competitive environment that supports value over volume. The organization strives to build a community of dance that enables each student to connect both technically, artistically, and spiritually with their own art and individuality. Participants collaborate with their peers as they learn from one another and their teachers/artists in programs that model mutual respect and celebrate diversity. EMDOD creates a community where participants can feel safe to explore and cultivate their dreams. Growing together, participants prepare for the challenges that lie ahead for them in the world of dance and life.
Borrow a picnic blanket or chair – or bring your own. Bryant Park blankets and chairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Attendees may bring their own food or purchase from on-site food and beverage vendors near the Lawn. At most performances, attendees can purchase food from a rotating line-up of local NYC vendors curated by Hester Street Fair. At all performances, Stout NYC offers cheese and charcuterie boards as well as a selection of beer, wine, frosé, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Performances are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors. In some cases, the Lawn may be too wet to open but the performance may continue. Follow @bryantparknyc on Twitter and Stories for day-of event updates.
COVID-19 vaccinations and masks are not currently required but Bryant Park will continue to monitor and follow updated New York City and New York State COVID-19 guidelines throughout the summer as necessary.