Magdalena Waz

@ThrowBigWords

There are still a few weeks of summer left, and it seems like everyone is trying to get down to the beach to lock in that tan, catch some waves, and if they’re lucky, catch a free dance performance or two.

On August 19 and August 26, Beach Sessions Dance Series will return to Rockaway Beach for a set of performances that use the natural beauty of the Rockaways as their backdrop. 

If you head out on August 19 to Beach 86th St. at 6 p.m., you’ll see “At Night” a duet by Jodi Melnick and Jon Kinzel described simply as a “meditation on nature.” We can’t think of a better location than the beach to marvel at nature’s power.

Photograph by Alex John Beck for Beach Sessions Dance Series.

Then, you can catch “Fun Young God” an anonymous piece channelling the “movements of multiple rock and pop legends” while infusing them with the performers’ own characteristics. 

Photograph by Mavi Phillips.

August 26, on the other hand, will feature one performance from 6 p.m. until sunset at Beach 110th St. featuring six dancers and beach rake trucks conceived by Madeline Hollander. The dancers will take turns either creating marks on fresh sand or having their marks erased by the rakes. Either way, “Arena” is a commentary on what it’s like to document more ephemeral art forms like live performance. 

Film still courtesy of Sam Fleischner.

After each night of performances, Surfrider Foundation will host a volunteer beach cleanup sponsored by Rockaway Brewing Company to make sure that visitors are able to leave the beach better than they found it. 

What more do we have to say to convince you to leave Bushwick for a few hours and head down to one of the most vibrant pockets of New York City?



Featured image courtesy of Beach Sessions Dance Series.