New Victory Dance 2024 Arts Break: Program A

Are you ready to experience a guided tour of New York City dance at New Victory Dance? New Victory Arts Break^SM activities are the perfect way to prep for what you’re about to see on stage! Before you attend Program A, take some time to learn about the artists, do a little moving and grooving yourself, and talk as a family about all things dance!

New Victory Arts Break videos are filmed at the New Victory Theater. We acknowledge that New Victory resides on the seized homeland of the Lenape people and the intertribal territory of many First Nations. We celebrate and pay deep respect to all Indigenous peoples, past, present and future, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.

Learn: Meet the Artists

There are so many amazing dance companies hitting the New Victory stage this summer! Program A features Jerron Herman, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. Here’s a taste of what these artists are all about:

• In addition to dancing himself, Jerron Herman does advocacy work for disabled dancers and is an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
• Calpulli Mexican Dance Company uses Mexican folk dances, such as el jarabe tapatío in their piece Viñedos, to tell stories about Mexican life.
• Keerati Jinakunwiphat started off as an apprentice with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham before choreographing multiple works for them, including Someday Soon.

Learn more about the different dance styles that are a part of each New Victory Dance program, featuring special insights from the New Victory Teaching Artists who are hosting each program!

Do: Life As a Dance

Tying your shoes, crossing the street, having a drink of water—these everyday movements make for perfect dance inspiration! Follow along with New Victory Teaching Artist Dwayne Brown and Melissa from the New 42 Youth Corps as they each choreograph a dance based on their morning routines.

What tasks from your everyday life can you dancify? Grab a friend or family member and work together to craft two decks of choreography cards to introduce a little chance into your dance.

Materials: Blank flashcards or cutout paper rectangles, markers, your dancing shoes!

Step One: Divide your flashcards in half to form two decks. Deck #1 will contain tasks from your daily routine, and Deck #2 will contain choreographic tools to elevate your dance sequence to the next level.

Step Two: For Deck #1, the daily routine deck, use a marker to fill your flashcards with the names different tasks or actions from your everyday life. You can pull from your own experience or use one from the following bank:

Step Three: For Deck #2, the choreographic tools deck, fill your flashcards with different ways that you might move or dance your tasks. For example, you could perform your task as though…

Step Four: Now that you have both of your decks, draw one card from Deck #1 to determine your task. Try breaking down your task into three movements! If your task was brushing your teeth, you could (1) brush, (2) rinse, (3) spit.

Step Five: As you perform your movements, have your friend or family member draw one card from Deck #2 and shout it out to inspire your choreography. Whatever card they pull, see if you can adjust your performance in real time.

Challenge!

Repeat Step Five in a rapid-fire round. Keep adjusting your choreo as your partner draws new cards from Deck #2. Then turn the tables and draw choreographic cards as they perform their movements!

Take a bow! But don’t stop here—continue adding new ideas to your dance decks and finding new ways to perform life as a dance.

Talk: Dance Dialogue

Dance means different things to different people. Have you ever talked about it as a family? Take a moment to chat about the ins, outs, whats and whys of dance!

• When you think of the word “dance,” what comes to mind? What emotions? What colors or shapes? What people?
• How often do you dance and why?
• Name as many kinds of dances as you can think of! Which are your favorites and why?