Manhattan West, New York City’s dynamic destination for food, culture, retail, hospitality and Brookfield Properties’ modern workplace, announced the return of “Gather Round,” a free outdoor dance and music series in partnership with Works & Process and inspired by the competitions of the Paris Summer Olympics and the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. The series of four free performances will take place at Manhattan West Plaza (385 9th Avenue in Midtown) and will feature a celebration of street and club dance battles every Wednesday in September from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The performances give the audience the opportunity to see breakers in competition. Behind the groove, At an event hosted by legends Kwikstep and Rokafella, you can admire members of the ballroom community as they walk the runway and perform vogue at Gather Round Kiki Ball, cheer on competing Waack dancers as part of the Fall Edition of Fabulous Waacking Festival with Princess Lockerooo, and witness NYC’s best beatboxers take on The Beatbox House.

This series illustrates Works & Process’s ongoing commitment to street and social dance. It includes work previously commissioned and presented at the Guggenheim Museum Rotunda and now on display in the Manhattan West Plaza’s event circuit. The community is invited to watch the best street and club dancers compete for glory and awards.

Performance schedule:

Behind the Groove: CeleBreak Outside! with Kwikstep and Rokafella

4 September, 16:30

Since 2009, hip-hop legends Kwikstep And Rokafell will have curated Behind the Groovea party that invites the breakdance community to freestyle to classic dance music while providing them a space to immerse themselves in the dance cipher and show off their learned skills. This open-air version is held regularly at the Nuyorican Poets Café and now at the Bogart House in Brooklyn. This open-air version will feature four breakdance teams competing against each other. The performance will captivate with the sounds of DJ KS360 and DP One, hosted by Rokafella.

Gather around the Kiki Ball

11 September, 16:30

The community and competitive spirit of ballroom culture is perhaps best known from the film Paris is burningthe musical hit of this summer Cats: The Jellicle Ball, or the TV series pose And Legendary. The Gather around the Kiki Ball will celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride and the skills and style that have made ballroom the cultural force it is today, featuring commentator Snookie Juicy West, DJ Byrell The Great, and legendary judges Omari “Oricci” Wiles, Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington, and more. The categories for this demo ball are Runway, Face, and Vogue, featuring some of NYC’s finest ballwalkers.

Gather Round Kiki Ball is organized by Hype Kitty.

Fabulous autumn edition of the Waacking Festival with Princess Lockerooo

18 September, 16:30

Characterized by its rotating arm movements, poses and emphasis on expressiveness, Waacking combines the glitz and glamour of Hollywood movies, the pulsating energy of disco and the colourful underground gay club culture of the 70s. An event organized by Princess Lockerooo, which is hosted by The New York Times As the “Queen of Waack” there will be energetic performances, stunning costumes and theatrical choreography that honors the roots and influences of Waacking. The best Waackers will compete against each other in an epic showdown. Visitors are invited to dress up and join in the dancing at the end – after the show and the battle there will be the opportunity to get your disco fix, twirl around and let go.

Manhattan West Beatbox Battle with the Beatbox House

25 September, 16:30

New York’s best beatboxers will compete with their latest material in the lead-up to the 2024 USA Beatbox Championships in Pittsburgh! The Beatbox House’s monthly competition will take place in Manhattan West, immediately following the music group’s world tour with the U.S. Department of State. American music abroad program. Kenny Urban, Gene Shinozaki, Neil Meadows (aka NaPoM), Amit Bhowmik and Chris Celiz make up The Beatbox House, a collective that perfected their craft while living together in Brooklyn. From 2015 to 2018, they traveled around Europe and won the Grand Beatbox title, bringing beatboxing glory back to NYC where it all began. (Fact: Beatboxing started in the Bronx!)

Further background information on Gather together For street and club dance battles in Manhattan West, visit manhattanwestnyc.com.

ABOUT MANHATTAN WEST

Manhattan West is New York City’s newest dynamic food, culture, retail, hospitality and modern workplace destination from Brookfield Properties. Spanning eight acres, Manhattan West is located at the center of Manhattan’s new West Side, steps from Moynihan Hall, Madison Square Garden and The High Line, with seamless access to the Theater District, Entertainment District, Chelsea art galleries, Meatpacking District and more. Manhattan West is home to diverse world-class office space, Pendry Manhattan West, luxury apartments at The Eugene, experiential retail amenities and unparalleled culinary concepts around a landscaped two-acre public plaza enlivened with immersive arts and entertainment programs from Brookfield Properties Arts & Culture. It brings together the best of Brookfield’s global placemaking portfolio to create a new district with something for everyone. For more information, visit www.ManhattanWestNYC.com.

ABOUT BROOKFIELD PROPERTIES ARTS & CULTURE

Brookfield Properties Arts & Culture brings communities together and enlivens our unique public spaces by collaborating with world-class artists, creatives and cultural practitioners. With thousands of free events and programs each year worldwide, Brookfield Properties Arts & Culture welcomes millions of people each year to participate in meaningful experiences in music, dance, film, theater, visual arts, recreation and food. For more information, visit https://www.brookfieldproperties.com/en/our-approach/events/

ABOUT WORK AND PROCESSES

Works & Process supports performing artists and their creative process from studio to stage, showcasing artists from the world’s largest organizations and promoting underappreciated performing arts cultures. Works & Process commissions, offers long-term and fully funded LaunchPAD creative residencies, and presents programs that illuminate the artistic process at the Guggenheim Museum, Lincoln Center, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts along with the Jerome Robbins Dance Division. Each summer, Works & Process curates and presents free dance programs with City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage and NYC Parks. For more information, visit https://www.worksandprocess.org/

Related