Summer For The City brings all New Yorkers together for a summer filled with free or choose-what-you-pay events at Lincoln Center, May 14 – August 14, 2022.
Summers at Lincoln Center have always been special with lots of free programming and curation that represents the diversity that makes New York City a world capital.
This summer is special because we all need to recover from all we lost in the pandemic. We need to be together again. Thank you Lincoln Center and Chief Artistic Officer Shanta Thake for understanding.
Summer For The City 2022
There are over 300 events on ten stages. The Oasis is NYC’s largest outdoor dance hall. It’s in Lincoln Center’s main plaza. There’s an Outdoor Cinema in Hearst Plaza and an underground Speakeasy.
No matter who you are or where your family comes from, you can find yourself at Lincoln Center. Most events are first-come, first-served, and free, so go early.
July
This is the Latin part of what’s happening at Summer For The City 2022 from July 15, on.
Beats in the City is an Afrobeats Dance Party
Beats in the City is DJs Mohogany, AQ and Sydney Love spinning an Afrobeats and Amapiano dance party at The Oasis in Lincoln Center on Friday, July 15, 2022 at 6pm with a Silent Disco at 10pm. Free. 🌍
Afrobeats are Global Music fusions made since the 1970s in Mother Africa. Some of the fusions are with Latin music, much of which is African Diaspora, coming back to Africa. Amapiano is a form of House music from South Africa. “Amapiano” is Zulu for “the pianos.”)
The dance floor opens at 6pm. There’s a dance lesson at 6:30pm, live DJ at 7pm and silent disco at 10pm.
Quince en la Plaza Celebrates the Quinceañera
Quince en la Plaza celebrates the Latin quinceañera tradition with live music, dance performances, food and art in Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center on Sunday, July 17, 2022 at 5pm, followed by a Silent Disco at 9pm. Free.
A “quinceañera” is a traditional Latin coming-of-age party for 15-year olds. It’s like a sweet 16 or debutante’s ball. It’s a very big deal in traditional families.
Paris is Burning is the Iconic Voguing Documentary
“Paris is Burning,” Jennie Livingston’s iconic documentary on NYC’s 1980s (drag ballroom) voguing scene, screens at the Outdoor Cinema at Hearst Plaza in Lincoln Center on Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 10pm. Free. 🏳️🌈
The film shows legendary characters including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey and Venus Xtravaganza.
Voguing went global out of 1980s New York City, but the fun started in Black and Latin Harlem in the 1920s. Sadly, we are still dealing with the same problems we had 100 years ago. All together now.
Típica 73 Plays Puerto Rican Salsa
Charangueando con la Tipica ’73 is a Latin dance party hosted by NYC’s Salsa Queen Talia Castro-Pozo with a dance lesson by Eddie Torres Jr. and Princess Serrano, a live music set by legendary Bronx Charanga band Tipica ’73, and DJ John John on the decks on Friday, July 22, 2022. Floor opens 6pm. Dance lesson at 6:30pm. Tipica ’73 at 7:30pm. Free. 🇨🇺🇵🇪🇵🇷
Charanga is 1940s Cuban dance music that features flutes and violins for Cuban Danzón.
Danzón is the Cuban version of the world’s first international dance (English Country Dance became French Contredanse and Spanish Contradanza which came to the Americas). Outside of Cuba, it’s called la Habanera (the way they dance in Havana, with a little Tumbao or hips). In Puerto Rico, it became Danza. In Argentina it became first Milonga, and then Tango. In New York City, it became Salsa. [We are all so related.]
Talia Castro-Pozo is a Peruvian actress and Classical Ballerina who hosts NYC’s most popular Salsa and Latin dance parties.
Eddie Torres Jr. is the son of Eddie Torres Sr, the Bronx dancer who created New York Salsa on 2. In Puerto Rico, we call it dancing on clave (it’s half the clave).
Tipica ’73 formed out of Fania legend Ray Barretto’s orchestra (“Indestructible” may be about the split). Founding members included Johnny “Dandy” Rodríguez and Adalberto Santiago. Both still play around town a lot.
DJ John John is a popular New York Salsa DJ.
Marivaldo Favellê Hosts a Brazilian Favela Dance Party
Marivaldo Favellê is a Brazilian favela dance party with live music led by Marivaldo Dos Santos at The Oasis in Lincoln Center on Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 6pm. Free. 🇧🇷
This is a favela party which is quite a party. Baile funk is Favela party with all kinds of influences. Check this out from Dos Santos’ YouTube channel.
Sounds familiar huh? The Off-Broadway show “Stomp” comes from England, but this is Brazilian Stomp. Feel the Samba and the Hip-Hop?
No matter how you slice it, we are all related and recognize each other in the drum. Some Brazilians can make a tin can sound like an entire drum kit. We have no idea how they do it, but it is magical. It’s Brazilian. Legal! (Cool!)
Indigenous Enterprise Brings Native American Dance Back to New York City
Family Dance with Indigenous Enterprise brings Native American dance traditions back to New York City at The Oasis in Lincoln Center on Sunday, July 31, 2022 at 4pm. Free. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
This interactive performance is for kids, teens and families.
Indigenous Enterprise is a Native American and Canadian dance group made up of artists from many First Nations. They honor the traditions, and also update them with Hip-Hop and other contemporary influences.
Academics have noted the similarity between Native American music and the Blues, the root of American popular music. The Blues evolved into Jazz, Country, Rock, R&B, and Hip-Hop, basically all the American popular music and dances.
Guess what? Native Americans recognize pre-contact Southeastern Stomp dancing in the Blues. And most of us think call-and-response is an African tradition, but Native Americans do it too (from before contact).
The mixing doesn’t surprise us. Humans do similar things around the world and across time. And escaping colonial violence brought Indigenous Peoples and the African Diaspora together throughout the Americas.
We love joining a call-and-response chorus. In African Diaspora tradition, we call the saints, but it is the community who responds. It means the community is sacred. When we join a call-and-response chorus, our hair stands on end.
August
Spanish Harlem Orchestra Celebrates 20 Years of Classic Salsa
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra plays New York Salsa for dancing with a dance lesson by Talia Castro-Pozo and Franck Muhel, and DJ Woody at The Oasis in Lincoln Center on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 7:30pm (6pm doors, 6:3opm lesson). Free. 🇵🇷
The Spanish Harlem Orchestra plays Salsa, Cha Cha and Boleros for dancing in the hard Salsa (Salsa Dura) style of 1970s New York City, when Salsa as we know it today was born. They make their own music, but also play many classics.
Led by Jazz pianist Oscar Hernández, the band is made up of NYC’s top session musicians. Many of them started playing with Salsa legends when they were young.
We are Puerto Rican salseros (cocolos) who love dancing to the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. You can dance to their albums from beginning to end. There is a crispness to their recordings that you usually only feel in a live set.
It’s the 20th anniversary of their first record, “Un Gran Día En El Barrio,” and they just released their latest album “Imágenes Latinas.” ¡WEPA, WEPA, WEPA!
Dance Party NYC ~ Everybody Dance Now!
Dance Party NYC is a citywide dance party led by DJ Bill Coleman at The Oasis in Lincoln Center and across all five boroughs on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 4pm. Free.
It’s co-produced by Lincoln Center and the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public libraries. Did anyone call the Book of Records?
There’ll be dancing in the streets (and that Motown song is about the people being together). Everybody dance now. There is no better way to get rid of lockdown cobwebs and make new friends. Muevalo (shake it). You’ll be happy.
La Casita is a Little Home for Spoken Word
La Casita brings poets and musicians together for a festival of oral traditions in Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 6:30pm. Free. 🇨🇴
The La Casita line-up includes: poets Jonah Mixon-Webster, Jacqueline Johnson, Franny Choi, Paul con Queso, Gabriel Ramirez, Mario Jose Pagán Morales, and Audry Funk; and music group Lucia Pulido Trio and Congolese drumming group, Mfouambila Congo Company. The evening’s host is poet and sound artist LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs.
La Casita is an interesting recognition that much of the world relies on oral traditions.
This is good. It’s all good.
Since 2001, La Casita has been one of the highlights of Lincoln Center’s summer programs. “La Casita” means “the little house.” We have a Latin focus, but Latin is a mix of everyone. Everyone is welcome in our house, whether that is New York Latin Culture Magazine, Lincoln Center or New York City. Bienvenido (Welcome). We are glad to see you.
See you at Summer For the City 2022 at Lincoln Center. lincolncenter.org