This year’s 7th and 8th grade dance students explored Latin Dance in traditional and contemporary forms during their DanceWAVE (Working Artist Video Ensemble) Assignment. They learned four Latin Dance styles: Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, and Mambo which they filmed in various locations in New York City — from Carl Schurz Park in the Upper East Side to J. Hood Wright Park in Washington Heights to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Thank you to our guest choreographer, Latin Dance specialist Baudilio Rivera, (seen in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s movie In the Heights). Midway through the project, 7th and 8th grade Spanish classes joined the dancers for a Salsa lesson that Mr. Rivera taught in Spanish.
In a celebration of belonging, all 7th and 8th grade dancers performed “We’re All in This Together” (from High School Musical) as a Flashmob in the Dalton Library.