New Victory Dance 2024 Arts Break: Program C

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 C, take some time to learn about the artists, do a little moving and grooving yourself, and talk as a family about all things dance!

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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 C features Ladies of Hip Hop, NVA & Guests and GALLIM. Here’s a taste of what these artists are all about:

• Michele Byrd-McPhee created Ladies of Hip Hop by bringing together not only dancers, but also DJs, emcees and other interdisciplinary artists!
• Nicole von Arx of NVA & Guests studied ballet, contemporary dance and hip-hop in Switzerland before joining The Ailey School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater here in New York City!
• GALLIM’s founder and choreographer Andrea Miller likes incorporating improv games into her pieces when working with her dancers.

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: Neighborhood Movement Game

There is beauty all around us, and it makes for perfect dance inspiration! Follow along with New Victory Teaching Artist P. Tyler Britt as he takes us on an adventure through his Brooklyn neighborhood and translates local sights into physical movement.

Step One: Grab a pen and some paper. Think about your neighborhood and reflect on what you see, the sounds you hear, the smells—everything! Set a timer for 30 seconds, and make a list of all the words that describe your neighborhood.

Step Two: Time for a sensory scavenger hunt! Grab a grown-up and take a walk around your neighborhood. While you’re out, try to find all of the sights, sounds and smells that you wrote down. Write down experiences to match those words.

Step Three: Once you get back home, look at your list. Pick an item from the list, and see if you can create a move or a gesture to match it. This can be as grand or as small as you would like it to be. How would you put “shiny” in your body? What about “green?”

Step Four: Grab a friend or family member and have them try to guess what you are embodying. Try not to use any words—rely only on the movement and shapes you make with your body.

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?