Dance Diplomacy with Jonathan with Former U.S. Diplomat Cesar Beltran, Choreographer Gerzson Péter Kovács (Budapest, Hungary) and Dancer/Choreographer Tobiasz Sebastian Berg (Katowice, Poland) on Battery Dance TV

Battery Dance launched Battery Dance TV on March 27, 2020 at https://batterydance.org/dancetv/ to provide free live dance classes and programming for the general public by Battery Dance and affiliated 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, the company staff members went into high gear (from living rooms and kitchens), creating online content. In its first three weeks, Battery Dance TV has been seen by more than 50,000 viewers in 100 countries.

A regular Sunday interview program hosted by Battery Dance’s Founder Jonathan Hollander has already brought together artists from the U.S., Bangladesh, Canada, Costa Rica, India, Kenya and Mexico as well as U.S. and foreign diplomats who have programmed the arts as a way of bringing people together and encouraging peaceful understanding and cultural exchange.  

The conversation on Sunday, May 3, brings together one of Hungary’s leading avant-garde choreographers, whose artistic trajectory coincided with radical changes in the political and social life of his country, with a younger generation dance-maker from Poland, whose pedagogy was informed by his work with youth in the blue-collar environs of Katowice.  Hollander re-connects with both of them as well as with the American career diplomat who signed off on grants that propelled Battery Dance’s bilateral cultural exchanges with both countries.

Hollander shares that, “working in Eastern Europe in the 1990’s and 2000’s was revelatory on many levels. Among other things, we viewed close-up the way dancers and choreographers were coping with conditions that were much harder than ours.  This interview on Battery Dance TV brings me back to that time and simultaneously throws into bold relief the fact that we are now on equal ground facing the blight that the coronavirus has visited upon all of us.”   

“Battery Dance TV allows us to continue connecting people across the world through dance at this time of social distancing and isolation,” says Hollander.  “We and everyone we know at home and abroad are facing emotional, psychological, physical and financial challenges. For 44 years, we have explored the power of dance as an art form and a means for social impact and connection.  We found a way to continue now when the need is so great.”

Battery Dance TV’s regularly scheduled offerings 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
Battery Dance will tap into its international network to host Artists Talks every Sunday at 9:00 AM (Eastern Time) with performers based in New York and from around the world, followed by Sunday classes in international dance genres such as Bharatanatyam dance from India, and African Fusion from South Africa.

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 – 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

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