Despite Orlando tragedy, Brooklyn not going to stop dancing, BP Adams says

Kicks Up His Heels for NYC Dance Week

June 21, 2016 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams busts a move with Tasha Norman, founder of NYC Dance Week at Downtown’s Albee Square. Eagle photos by Mary Frost

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The Brooklyn kick-off to NYC Dance Week, which takes place through June 25, transformed Downtown’s Albee Square into an open air dance studio on Thursday.

Seven Brooklyn dance companies put on a show — including Mark Morris Dance Center, Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, Jamie J Dance Company, the P.S. 105 Dance Team, Ms. Kay’s Dance Academy and the Williamsburg Movement and Arts Center.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams busted a move with Tasha Norman, former dancer and the founder of NYC Dance Week, and spoke on the importance of dance to the city.

“If you listen closely, the sound of our feet defines the many communities we are made of — salsa in Williamsburg, hip-hop in Bed-Stuy and Brownsville,” Adams told the crowd. “You have all the different dances taking place in Sunset Park, different dances in Bay Ridge with the Yemen community, the Pakistani community.”

Despite the recent tragic shooting in Orlando’s Pulse dance club, Adams said Brooklyn wasn’t about to stop dancing.

“It’s all about bringing all of these cultures together and realizing our common denominator,” he said. “Why is that important? Because Brooklyn becomes the pulse of the city. So if someone goes into a dance club in Orlando that’s called the Pulse and takes the lives of 50 people because of their lifestyle, we want to send a message that we’re not going to stop dancing and we’re not going to be intimidated by anyone.”

The annual festival provides free dance, fitness and wellness classes throughout all five boroughs. Visit http://www.nycdanceweek.org to register for free classes.