Battery Dance TV Dance Diplomacy with Jonathan with Alastair Macaulay and a Cecchetti Dance Class from Amanda Treiber

Battery Dance launched Battery Dance TV on March 27, 2020 at batterydance.org/dancetv/ to provide free live dance classes and programming for the general public by Battery Dance and affiliated local and international artists through a regularly scheduled program. Faced with the cancellation of its New York City public school dance classes and the postponement of its State Department Nigeria tour, and with its popular dance studios closed, its staff members went into high gear (from living rooms and kitchens), creating online content. In its first 8 weeks, Battery Dance TV has had nearly 200,000 views from people in 133 countries.

Sundays feature a mixed schedule beginning with an interview program at 9am and noon hosted by Battery Dance’s Founder Jonathan Hollander, Dance Diplomacy with Jonathan. He has brought together dancers, culture leaders and diplomats from the U.S. with their counterparts from North and South America, South Asia, Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific Regions, examining how the pandemic is impacting them and sharing inspiration along with challenges. International guest artist classes and solo performances are presented later in the day at 2pm and 4pm respectively. 

Dance Diplomacy with Alastair Macaulay 
Sunday, July 26, 2020
9am and 12pm EDT 
A transatlantic Zoom call brings Jonathan Hollander together with Alastair Macaulay, who shares intriguing memories of his first days as Chief Dance Critic of The New York Times. Reminiscences of attending previous Battery Dance Festivals at the water’s edge downtown and at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival reveal his voracious appetite for dance of all kinds. His return to London has enabled him to keep up with the dance world there while simultaneously hosting his own series of virtual interviews with the great ballerinas of New York.  Says Hollander, “Thirty minutes pass in a flash with Alastair’s characteristic erudition and charm.  One is reminded of how much we have lost when this true dance-lover returned to his first and most comfortable perch in London.”

Cecchetti Basics Class with Amanda Treiber
Sunday, July 26, 2020
2pm EDT
Learn the basics of the Cecchetti technique with Amanda Treiber, Principal Dancer with the New York Theatre Ballet and a teacher at the New York Theatre Ballet School. 

Solo performed by Amanda Treiber – “Three Things” 
Sunday, July 26, 2020
4pm EDT
Choreography by Rachael Kosch
Music composed by Michael Kosch

Battery Dance has announced the extension of its Mindful Movement sessions for frontline healthcare workers through July and possibly beyond. These 15-minute sessions, instituted in May, are offered eight times per week. Improvisation and musical theater dance classes and special afternoon classes for kids are also extended as part of Battery Dance TV’s regularly scheduled offerings which include: 
morning warmup/stretching/conditioning exercises to start your day off right
mid-day classes in contemporary dance with afro, ballet and jazz fusion elements
evening classes in varied ballroom styles
a daily 4pm short video by dancers performing in their living rooms or immediate neighborhoods
Battery Dance also plans to expand its distance learning and programming by including online classes in lighting and production design, and classes in arts administration and cultural diplomacy. In the future, the Company plans to add short performances by youth around the world who will create short dances based on a specific weekly theme suggested by the Company.

Morning Classes & Instructors
Flow – Vivake Khamsingsavath
Stretch & Strength – Mira Cook
Conditioning – Sean Scantlebury

Afternoon Contemporary Classes & Instructors
Jazz Fusion – Jill Linkowski
Ballet Fusion, Improv, and Musical Theatre – Bethany Mitchell
Storytelling & Repertoire – Hussein Smko
Afro Fusion – Sean Scantlebury

Evening Ballroom Classes & Instructor
Cha Cha, Salsa, Waltz, Fox Trot, Tango, Rumba, Swing – Razvan Stoian

Mindful Movement Sessions
Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 8pm – Mira Cook and Vivake Khamsingsavath
Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6:15am – Ashley Fargnoli
Tuesday, Thursday at 12:15pm – Bethany Mitchell and Razvan Stoian
Registration necessary: https://batterydance.org/givingback/

ABOUT BATTERY DANCE
As one of America’s leading cultural ambassadors, Battery Dance connects the world through dance. The Company pursues artistic excellence and social relevance by creating vibrant new works, performing on the world’s stages, presenting dance in public spaces, serving the field of dance and teaching people of all ages with special attention to the disadvantaged and areas of conflict. Battery Dance is committed to enhancing the cultural vibrancy of its home community in New York City, extending programming throughout the U.S., and building bridges worldwide through international cultural exchange with programs in 70 countries to date. www.batterydance.org