New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival, the Battery Dance Festival, returns to Rockefeller Park for its 43rd year from August 11th to 17th, 2024. This contemporary week-long dance festival will showcase nearly 40 dance works performed by 30 groups of artists from around the world. Among them, Taiwan's Focus Dance Company will perform the US premieres for the dance works “Self Portrait” and “Rugged Road” on August 11th, 12th, and 13th. This event is supported by the Taipei Cultural Center in New York (TCC) and marks the first collaboration between TCC and the Battery Dance Festival.
Focus Dance Company will make their US debut with “Self Portrait” on opening night, and will share the stage with companies from Germany, Nigeria, Romania, South Korea, and Canada on the third night of the festival. Created by Taiwanese choreographer Tsai Hsi Hung, the piece explores the theme of “unconventional beauty” and demonstrates that beauty exists where we least expect it. Influenced by Hung’s study of Chinese folk dance, Tai Chi, calligraphy, and abstract painters such as Jackson Pollock, the piece fuses these elements with a contemporary dance aesthetic to create a modern interpretation. The performance space is shaped by the dancers' emotions; at times, the dancers connect to emphasize these patterns, while at other times, they each get lost in their inner worlds, inviting the audience to confront and contemplate traditional representations of beauty.
On August 12th, the Battery Dance Festival will present its 4th annual "Young Voices in Dance," celebrating the next generation of choreographers and performers aged 15-22. Featuring live performances of original eclectic works, Focus Dance Company's choreographer Yeh Chen-Jung will present his creation, “Rugged Road.” This piece reveals that success comes through failure; as you attain higher accomplishments and status, the path you walk becomes more challenging. Even when it becomes difficult to breathe normally, remember, you arrived here by your own choice.
Beyond the performances, the Battery Dance Festival also invites international dance companies to host several community dance workshops to promote artistic expression and physical activity while fostering a love for dance. On August 14th, the Focus Dance Company workshop will utilize energy from the Oriental Tai Chi spiral combined with ballet and contemporary techniques. These techniques will be set against a backdrop of pulse-oriented music to explore new dimensions of the body.
Founded in 2004 by Taipei National University of the Arts, Focus Dance Company showcases a distinctive and innovative artistic vision in Taiwan. Since its inception, the company has performed hundreds of professional dance pieces and provided educational demonstration lectures in communities and schools across Taiwan. They have been invited to participate in prominent domestic and international art festivals, consistently ranking among Taiwan's top dance companies in annual box office performance. This recognition highlights Focus Dance Company as a dynamic and acclaimed dance organization. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Wu Yi-San, the dancers participating in this year’s Battery Dance Festival include Tzu-Yu Chou, Sheng-Ting Gao, Ya-Hsin Hsu, Tz-Shiun Jian, Jia-Cheng Li, Pin-Yu Ou, Jui-Chi Wu, and Chen-Jung Yeh.
In addition to enjoying the Battery Dance Festival on-site, all festival performances will be live-streamed, and recorded performances can be viewed for 10 days after the performance date. For more information, please visit: https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/.
Battery Dance Festival
Date and Time: August 11-17, 2024, 7-9PM
Venue: Rockefeller Park – Battery Park City 75 River Terrace (North Esplanade)
Website: https://batterydance.org/battery-dance-festival/
Focus Dance Company - Self Portrait | US Premiere
Date and Time (1st Show): August 11, 2024, 7-9PM
Date and Time (2nd Show): August 13, 2024, 7-9PM
Venue: Rockefeller Park – Battery Park City 75 River Terrace (North Esplanade)
Chen-Jung Yeh - Rugged Road | US Premiere
Date and Time: August 12, 2024, 7-9PM
Venue: Rockefeller Park – Battery Park City 75 River Terrace (North Esplanade)
Focus Dance Company Workshop
Date and Time: August 14, 2024, 10:00-11:30AM
Venue: Battery Dance Studios, 380 Broadway # 5, New York, NY 10013
Register: https://www.classy.org/event/bdf-24-workshop-or-focus-dance-company/e602433
*This workshop is limited to 20 students.