LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS FESTIVAL
You are walking down Main Street and
start to hear the drums. You
follow the sound and all of a sudden there is a stage in the middle of the
village. You see people smiling,
you feel the urge to start stomping your feet, clapping your hands, and before
you know it, you are hooked. As
you wander the streets of this eclectic village, you are constantly surprised
by what you encounter. A flamenco
dancer jamming with a tap dancer…a African griot playing his traditional balafon at the coffee shop…a
steel drum band at the park…This is awesome! You follow the music and discover the wonders of Nyack…all
for free!
Walk to the Beat was created by two professional
dancers and artistic creators who wanted to take people on a percussive journey
through the village of Nyack. To do this, they have enlisted outstanding talent to perform on outdoor stages, street corners, in local businesses and at a giant jam session...taking over the village for the day.
By supporting this effort, you help
create a space for this one-of-a-kind artistic collaboration. NO OTHER event
like this exists in the Lower Hudson Valley. Bringing together
percussive music and dance artists empowers both traditions to break new ground
and enter into an unfolding improvisation…all while you watch. But then again, at any given moment, you may find yourself participating.
This year, Walk to the Beat’s
percussive music and dance festival will fill the streets of Nyack, one of the
hippest villages just north of NYC, all day, on July 26, 2014. There will be three main stages with world-class percussive
music and dance acts. Add to that, an open stage for anyone who wants to share
their talents, wandering artists surprising people with short performances in
the shops and restaurants, and a big community-wide jam overlooking the Hudson
River to finish off the day. Last year was the first festival and the
word on the street was, “unique, super fun and full of surprises”. Many
people said that they did not stop smiling for eight hours.
WHO ARE THE CREATORS OF WALK TO THE
BEAT?
When Heather Cornell and Anna de la
Paz decided to collaborate and create this music and dance festival, they
combined over 50 years of performance and production experience. Heather
is a professional tap dancer, creator of Manhattan Tap, and she is credited as
one of a handful of dancers who started the tap dance renaissance in the 80s in
New York City. For the past 30 years she’s been touring the world
teaching, performing, choreographing and producing at venues like the Southbank Centre in London, England, the prestigious Salzburg Jazz Festival and New York's Lincoln Center. Anna is a professional
Spanish dancer who has been working for the past 20 years sharing the richness
of Spanish music and dance with her community. She has taken her art and her productions to the big stages
of Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and to the little community libraries
and schools. She brings to the
partnership a strong network of artists, venues and working relationships with
other professionals in Rockland County. The Lower Hudson Valley is their home,
and they are excited to be launching their production company at home.
AND WHY DO THEY DO THIS?
Because, to Heather and Anna it’s
clear that percussion, whether music or dance, is a universal language.
It breaks down all barriers of race and ethnicity and unites
people at their core. Simply, it’s magic. Because when we
understand the music of different cultures, we are that much more in harmony. You should have seen the
magic at work at last year’s festival. In fact, come and see it at work
again on July 26, 2014.
Ok . . . LOVE it! I WANT
TO HELP!
There are several ways you can help.
Walk to the Beat is in its second year of production. Last year we
had 6 main-stage acts, this year we want to bring 10 world-class music and
dance acts to the three stages. Also we plan to hire 10 artists to wander
the town, doing surprise performances in businesses listed on our percussive
treasure map. The sooner we raise the
money to pay these performers, the better opportunity we have to book exactly
who we want. We plan to double our performer budget from last year.
Yes you heard that right . . . even . . more . . .
even…better. Your contribution to this awesome percussive festival will
be transformed into magic. There wasn’t a single frown at the end of the
day’s Jam Session last year. And everyone wanted more.
AND NOW I WANT TO SPREAD THE WORD AND
GET OTHERS PSYCHED TO BE A PART TOO...
Thanks for reading our page.
Thanks for donating. And thanks for thinking about it even if you
can’t. So please, email every one you know and give them this webpage
(https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/walk-to-the-...) And here are the
bullet points to share:
· Let’s build a strong home for this unique festival
· Music and dance are the spirit that connect us all and make our
lives richer and fuller.
· It’s FREEEE so everyone can come…….Yippee!!
Tweet about this festival with all your followers.
Facebook about it – and like it
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/348443061962715/). And thanks for
spreading the word. But most importantly, come out on July 26.
Bring your instruments and maybe your dancing spirit, or not, and let’s
play!
