Dance En Plein Air This Summer

There’ll be dancing in the streets – or at least on Library Green – almost every Saturday again this summer as the New Rochelle Council on the Arts continues ”Dance En Plein Air,” free dance performances and lessons featuring local dance teachers and companies sharing the joy of movement outdoors at 1 pm on Saturdays at Ruby Dee Park on Library Green.

Dance En Plein Air has been organized by NRCA Advisory Board member Donna Wood Sanders, herself a former Alvin Ailey principle dancer. Sanders has reached out to local dance teachers to put together a smorgasbord of dance styles and presentations that will take place alongside the Grand Market on Library Green, giving participants a chance to sample the delights of different types of movement.

The pop-up dance performances are part of NRCA’s continuing series of “Arts Encounters,” created to bring the arts to people as they go about their every-day routines. “The idea is to remind everybody how the arts enrich our daily lives with a series of unexpected pop up performances in public spaces all around New Rochelle,” explains NRCA President Theresa Kump Leghorn. For more information about NRCA visit www.newrochellearts.org or follow NRCA on Twitter @NewRochelleArts.

Dance En Plein Air will take place at 1 pm on Saturdays; scheduled performances include:

June 4 : New Beginnings Performing Arts Company, directed by Kyra Johnson

June 11 : Toni & Crew Flash Dash, directed by Toni Michelle Rubio

June 18: Dance Connection, directed by Linda Andrews

June 25 : (no dance performance - NRPL Summer Reading Kick-Off program)

July 2: (No dance performance - holiday weekend)

July 9: Zumba with Maria Vargas

July 16: Coleman Teen Dance Company, directed by Christine Coleman

July 23 : Coleman School of Dance, directed by Jenny & Christine Coleman

July 30: Illusions Dance Company, directed by Christine Coleman

August 6: Capoeira Luanda New Rochelle @The Capoeira Center, Instrutora Coruja

August 13: Studio B Dance School, directed By Nancy Rothenberg

August 20: Studio B Dance School, directed By Nancy Rothenberg (Last Day)

Whatever your dance ability don’t miss this opportunity to explore movement en plein air!

About Donna Wood Sanders

A member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for 13 years, Donna Wood became internationally recognized as a significant interpreter of dramatic dance roles: The New York Times praised her as “not only a versatile dancer but a sensitive artist capable of both lyricism and a dramatic intensity.” Born in New York City and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Donna Wood began studying dance with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company at the age of five. She trained extensively in ballet under Josephine Schwartz of the Dayton Ballet. Wood joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in September, 1972; five years later, she became a leading dancer with the company, noted for her lyrical musicality, supple extensions, and strong, graceful jumps. Wood also guest-starred with the Hamburg Ballet, the Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1985 she left the Ailey company, and took a two-year faculty appointment at CalArts of Valencia, Calif. In 1987 she starred in a production of "Sophisticated Ladies," which toured the Soviet Union and Japan. In 1990 Wood retired from performing and married attorney Peter Michael Sanders. They live in New Rochelle with their two children. In 2013 she came out of retirement to join other former Ailey dancers in a New Year’s Eve performance of “Revelations.”

About the New Rochelle Council on the Arts

The New Rochelle Council on the Arts was created by the New Rochelle City Council in 1975 to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts; for 40 years NRCA has worked to fulfill that mission by sponsoring art exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series. In addition, NRCA has sponsored public art -- like the popular Fleur-de-Lis sculptures downtown -- and created ArtsFest, while helping to build relationships between the arts, the business community and city government. The NRCA website www.newrochellearts.org has become major resource for artists and art lovers – the “go-to” place for information about the arts. Membership in NRCA is open to artists and non-artists alike, with members receiving special discounts and invitations to networking events and studio tours. For more information visit NRCA on the web at www.newrochellearts.org.

NRCA’s programs are made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government, the City of New Rochelle, and the support and participation of NRCA’s membership.