Bryant Park Dance Party 2024 celebrates the transition from spring to summer with free dance lessons followed by live music for dancing. It’s really fun.
Talia Castro-Pozo is The Queen of New York Salsa Dancing. She’s a Peruvian classical ballerina and actress, who runs many salsa dance parties for New York City.
Bryant Park Dance Party 2024
The Bryant Park Dance Party, hosted by Talia Castro-Pozo, the Queen of New York Salsa, gives free dance lessons at 6pm, followed by live music for dancing salsa, R&B, hustle, bachata, swing, and Motown at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; from 7-8:30pm, Wednesday-Thursday, May 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16, 2024. FREE.
Salsa and R&B Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Salsa Soul Sizzle is a free salsa and R&B dance party with live music by Uptown Royalty; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm. Dancing at 7pm. 🇵🇷
Salsa on2 developed in The Bronx.
Hustle (Disco) Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Do the Hustle is a free disco dance party with live music by The Disco Nights; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Thursday, May 2, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm. Dancing at 7pm. 🇺🇸
Hustle developed in New York. Disco grew out of New York’s LGBTQ+ community’s desire to dance without being harassed. Salsa on2 is a mix of salsa and hustle.
Bachata Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Bachata and the City is a free traditional bachata dance party with live music by Judy Santos; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm. Dancing at 7pm. 🇩🇴
For traditional bachata ~ ¡Agua!
Swing Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Swing Fling is a free Lindy Hop dance party with live music by Charles Turner & Uptown Swing; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm. Dancing at 7pm. 🇺🇸
Lindy Hop developed at the legendary Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, Manhattan.
Motown Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Dancing in the Streets is a free Motown dance party with live music by KD Browne; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm. Dancing at 7pm. 🇺🇸
“Dancing in the Streets” is code for doing what Latins and the African Diaspora do naturally. In African and Indigenous tradition, dance is how we pray, and how we gather as a community. The Martha & The Vandellas 1964 version of the Marvin Gaye song was code for celebrating freedom. That was the time when the Civil Rights Movement gave us lots of hope. We still have hope, so lets dance!
Salsa Dance Party
Bryant Park Dance Party Latin Festival is a free charanga, Cuban salsa, cha-cha-cha, and salsa dura dance party with live music by La Charanga Pacha and Jimmy Bosch Salsa Masters; at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan; on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Free Lesson at 6pm with dancing to live music until 10pm. 🇨🇺 🇵🇷
Salsa is Cuban son that developed into what we now call salsa in New York’s Puerto Rican communities in the 1960s and 70s.
Talia Castro-Pozo is a great dance teacher, and these are all great bands. Don’t miss it.
Past Artists
- Afro-Andean Funk, Afro-Peruvian cumbia. 🇵🇪
- Gregorio Uribe Colombian cumbia and vallenato. 🇨🇴
- La Excelencia hard New York salsa with a Colombian leader. 🇨🇴
- Pedro Giraudo Argentine tango jazz. 🇦🇷