vip in the city

Downtown Dance Festival 2007

All this week, the 26th annual Downtown Dance Festival presented 19 dance companies from the United States, Europe and Asia for lunchtime crowds at Chase Plaza. The troupes represented styles as varied as ballet, modern, African, Indian and martial arts, and included several NYC and U.S. debuts. This year the festival introduced “Everybody Dance Now!” in which the companies invited audience members onstage to learn a segment from the pieces showcased on each performance day. The average age of those who cared to take the dancers up on the offer was solidly in the single digits.

The Parijat Desai Dance Company (one of four groups on the roster this afternoon) performs a blend of Indian classical dance (bharata natyam) and modern dance, with elements of yoga and martial arts.

A full house on the plaza: