Works & Process is proud to present with and serve as dance curator for Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City's beloved outdoor performing arts festival returning for its 37th year to bring 80 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. Works & Process at SummerStage celebrates street, social, and percussive dance. In addition to SummerStage's presenting support, most featured projects will have received fully funded creative residencies and commissioning support by Works & Process to support artists from studio-to-stage. Works & Process at SummerStage will feature artist-in-residence Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective, an all-female intergenerational group that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power, and diversity of women in hip-hop. These performances can be found at select shows throughout the season.

 

"Directing attention and resources to dance communities often neglected by institutions of concert dance" – The New York Times

 

Works & Process at SummerStage in partnership with New York City Department of Parks & Recreation will present a free four-part dance class series taught by MasterZ at Work Dance Family at the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center and a free four-part rapping class series at the Pelham Fritz Recreation Center at Marcus Garvey Park, all in conjunction with the featured dance performances.

 

Works & Process AT SUMMERSTAGE

July 2- August 17, 2023

 

Various Parks throughout New York City

All events are free

 

Featuring Ballroom, Beatbox, Hip-Hop, House, Improv, NYC Underground Club Culture, Percussive Dance, Samba, Street Jazz, Tap, Vogue, and more!

 

July 2: Marisa Monte/ Joana Amendoeira & Fred Martins/ Music from the Sole / DJ Lara Gerin

July 13: Courtney Washington's Masterz at Work Dance Family with DJ Byrell the Great

July 26: Dorrance Dance

August 17: The Missing Element with The Beatbox House and LayeRhythm

 

Marisa Monte/ Joana Amendoeira & Fred Martins/ Music from the Sole / DJ Lara Gerin

Sunday, July 2 at 6pm

Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

A celebration of Brazilian and Portuguese culture, SummerStage imports some of the biggest names in Portuguese-language music to Central Park. Five-time Latin GRAMMY winner and Brazilian legend Marisa Monte has been gracing the airwaves for decades, becoming one of the country's most recognizable voices in the process. Her 2021 LP Portas—her first in nearly ten years—is a timeless masterclass in MPB (música popular brasileira). As bright and buoyant as ever, Monte hasn't skipped a beat. Duo Joana Amendoira and Fred Martins marry Brazilian fados and melodies that meet in the middle of the Atlantic, performing works from their latest albums Na Volte la Mare and Ultramarino, as well as works Martins composed with famed writer Tiago Torres da Silva. They're joined by Music from the Sole, a tap dance and live music company that celebrates tap's relationship with Afro-Brazilian dance and music, connecting its lineage to samba, house dance and passinho (Brazilian street funk). DJ Lara Gerin is on the ones and twos.

 

This program was created in Association with Consulate General of Brazil in New York and Arte Institute. This program is supported by public funds from the Instituto Guimarães Rosa - Consulate General of Brazil in New York.

 

Courtney Washington's Masterz at Work Dance Family with DJ Byrell the Great

Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 7pm

Von King Park, Brooklyn, 11216

Works & Process presents ballroom's iconic Courtney Washington and the Masterz at Work Dance Family. This collective of fierce and resilient young performers from varied backgrounds fuses together street dance, jazz, ballroom, vogue, and hip-hop, fostering community in under-resourced areas of Brooklyn. It's a home borough show for Washington, who spent her formative years performing in Von King Park, and went on to found the Kiki House of Juicy Couture, lead the vogue House of Balenciaga, and win the Avis Penda'vis Angel Award at the 2022 Latex Ball.

 

The creation of works performed were created, in part, during Works & Process bubble and LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" residencies at Bethany Arts Community, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, and Poncantico Center, funded in part by Mellon and Doris Duke Foundations.

 

Dorrance Dance

Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 7pm

Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

New York's own award-winning Dorrance Dance celebrates its SummerStage Central Park debut. Pushing the dynamic range that tap dance has to offer and sharing the complex history and powerful legacy of this Black American art form, the program will feature 45th & 8th. Led by artistic director and MacArthur fellow Michelle Dorrance with original music of "breathtaking vocalist" Aaron Marcellus, join this company of singular artists culminating in a musical and emotional journey that only Marcellus's soul-stirring live performance could provide!

 

"With each performance of Dorrance Dance, tap expands." – The New York Times

 

The creation of 45th & 8th was created, in part, during a residency at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park.

 

The Missing Element with The Beatbox House/LayeRhythm

Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 7pm

Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan, 10027

Works & Process presents The Missing Element—a fusion of beatbox and street dance originally commissioned to adapt the cipher to the circular architecture of the Guggenheim—dancers embody the elements of wind, fire, water, and earth in an effort to inspire the spirit and recovery of New York, set to the percussive stylings of NYC beatbox crew The Beatbox House. They're joined by LayeRhythm, a non-profit arts group led by Mai Lê Hô that celebrates the vibrancy of street and club dance culture through a mix of freestyle dance, live music, and audience interaction.

 

The creation of works performed were created, in part, during Works & Process bubble and LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" residencies at Catskill Mountain Foundation, The Church, and Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, funded in part by Mellon and Doris Duke Foundations.

 

Works & Process AT SUMMERSTAGE Artists in residence: Ladies of Hip-Hop

July 2- August 17, 2023

Various Parks throughout New York City - All performances are Free

 

June 24

Stanley Clarke n 4Ever/ Kenny Garrett/ Brandee Younger/ DJ Logic

 

August 12

Frankie Cutlass/The Original Cover Girls/ Black Sheep Dres/ DJ Millo and DJ Medina in association with Maker Park Radio

 

August 17

The Missing Element with The Beatbox House/LayeRhythm

 

August 20

Everyday People

 

September 3

Emicida/ Goyo/ Screening: AmarElo: It's All for Yesterday

 

 

Stanley Clarke n 4Ever/ Kenny Garrett/ Brandee Younger/ DJ Logic

Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 6pm

Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

The storied downtown jazz label Blue Note will bring together multiple generations of jazz innovators in Central Park. Headlining is bassist, composer, and jazz fusion pioneer Stanley Clarke with his 4Ever band, renowned for his unique percussive electric bass playing style; the five-time GRAMMY winner was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2022. GRAMMY winner Kenny Garrett is a post-bop saxophonist, flutist, and composer who cut his teeth as a youth in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and shined as a member of Miles Davis' band in the late 80s-early 90s; he too, is a newly minted NEA Jazz Master. Brandee Younger is arguably contemporary jazz's most formidable harpist. The GRAMMY-nominated composer, curator, and NYU professor seamlessly injects the harp into arrangements and venues where it has historically been overlooked. They're supported by DJ Logic, a Bronx-born nu-jazz turntablist.

 

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop.

 

 

Frankie Cutlass/The Original Cover Girls/ Black Sheep Dres/ DJ Millo and DJ Medina in association with Maker Park Radio

Saturday, August 12, 5pm

Stapleton Waterfront Park, Staten Island, 10304

In the '80s and early '90s, freestyle music took over dance clubs in New York, Miami, and Philadelphia, bringing together Puerto Rican and Italian-American communities under the banner of infectious electronic dance music powered by thumping syncopated beats and space-age synthesizers. This Staten Island throwback jam pairs two freestyle stars—The Original Cover Girls, best known for hits like "Show Me" and "Because of You," and Cynthia, who charted with "Dreamboy / Dreamgirl" and "Break Up to Make Up"—with a pair of hip-hop acts responsible for some of the genre's most enduring recordings. Frankie Cutlass is the Puerto Rican DJ responsible for importing the Miami Bass group Poison Clan's iconic hook from "Shake Whatcha' Mama Gave Ya" for a new hit by Stik E & the Hoodz, as well as the iconic chant from his 1993 track "Puerto Rico." Opener Black Sheep were part of the Native Tongues crew and first appeared on De La Soul's classic sophomore album De La Soul is Dead, but are perhaps best known for their 1991 hit "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" and its callback to the now defunct number 9 subway train.

 

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop.

 

This show is supported, in part, by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

 

Everyday People

Sunday, August 20, 6pm

Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

Drawing its name from Arrested Development's song "People Everyday," Saada Ahmed, Chef Roblé Ali, & DJ Moma's Everyday People is both a party and a platform. A brunch party that evolved into a monthly residency with a 90s R&B soundtrack that celebrates the Black diaspora, Everyday People has become an international and intersectional safe space for partiers in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond, exporting immaculate vibes across the Atlantic to Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.

 

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop.

 

 

Emicida/ Goyo/ Screening: AmarElo: It's All for Yesterday

Sunday, September 3, 6pm

Central Park, Rumsey Playfield, Manhattan, 10021

In association with the 27th Inffinito Brazilian Film Festival, Central Park plays host to a performance from one of Brazil's best-known MCs and a screening of the documentary that celebrates his career and the rich legacy of Black Brazilian culture. The first-ever Latin GRAMMY-winning Brazilian rapper Emicida has had his music featured in several video games; the 2020 film AmarElo: It's All for Yesterday cuts between scenes from his concert in São Paulo's Theatro Municipal, interviews, recording sessions for his 2019 album AmarElo, and animated sequences that illuminate the legacy of Black culture in Brazil. The film was nominated for the 2021 International Emmy Awards. With support from Goyo, the singer, producer, and co-founder of ChocQuibTown, the groundbreaking Colombian band that fuses salsa, jazz, hip-hop, and reggae.

 

This show will feature a special performance in collaboration with Works & Process. As part of this partnership, this season at SummerStage Ladies of Hip-Hop will perform at various shows. Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective (LDC) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power and diversity of women in Hip-Hop.

 

WORKS & PROCESS WORKSHOPS, OPEN REHEARSALS, AND MORE

 

Courtney Washington's Masterz at Work Dance Family: Free Dance Workshop Series

Wednesday, June 21 and 28 and July 5 and 12, 4-5 pm

Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY

Dancers from the MasterZ at Work Dance Family, founded by legendary ballroom mother and Bed-Stuy native Courtney Washington, will teach free classes. Learn Contemporary, House, Street Dance, and Hip-Hop. All levels are welcome.

 

Courtney Washington's Masterz at Work Dance Family: Open Rehearsal

Monday, July 10, 6-7:30 pm

Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY

See a company open rehearsal on July 10 as they prepare for the July 13 Works & Process at SummerStage in Von King Park performance.

 

Building Raps with R.Q.Tek

Thursday, July 20 and 27 and August 3 and 10, 4-5:50pm

Pelham Fritz Recreation Center at Marcus Garvey Park, Manhattan, NY

LayeRhythm MC and rapper R.Q.Tek will teach a free four-part series on building raps leading up to the August 17thLayeRhythm Works & Process at SummerStage performance at Marcus Garvey Park.

 

ABOUT CITY PARKS FOUNDATION

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs -- located in more than 300 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City -- reach over 275,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

 

ABOUT SUMMERSTAGE

Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage is one of New York's most beloved, broadly accessible, free outdoor performing arts festivals. SummerStage annually presents nearly 80 free and benefit performances in Central Park and neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs to 217,000 fans. With performances in genres that represent the cultural fabric of New York City ranging from jazz, hip-hop, Latin, global, indie and contemporary dance, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City's summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception nearly 40 years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage.

 

ABOUT WORKS & PROCESS

Championing the creative process from studio-to-stage, Works & Process, is an independent performing arts organization that supports artists from both the world's largest organizations and from underrecognized performing arts cultures by providing rare, sequenced and fully-funded creative residency, commissioning, and iterative presenting support.

 

Blending artist discussions and performance highlights, each program provides unprecedented behind the scenes access to support our goal of broadening representation and fostering greater understanding and appreciation of the performing arts.

 

Works & Process celebrates New York artists and street and social dance with programs at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, with the Jerome Robbins Dance Division, and SummerStage. LaunchPAD "Process as Destination" partnerships with 12 residency centers across New York State amplify our support for artistic process.