Dance Is Life returns to Hudson River Park’s Pier 76 and lands on a special date—Abdiel’s birthday! Come out for a dance in celebration of life, love, and liberation. Abdiel is the co-founder of Dance Is Life and a beloved member of the local and global dance community, and will be joined by co-founder Natasha Diggs, otherwise known as the Queen of Diggin (and Twirlin!)

Dance Is Life is an intergenerational dance party that honors the tradition of Latin Hustle being danced in the outdoor spaces of NYC, while welcoming other dance styles and igniting a diverse space for exchange and creativity. Latin Hustle is a partner dance that originated in the South Bronx in the early 1970s, created predominantly by Puerto Rican and Black teenagers, that defies traditional gender norms where any gender can lead or follow—even role swap—and celebrates its LGBTQ+ innovators.

In 2023, Dance Is Life expanded beyond Central Park to Hudson River Park’s Pier 76, with a partnership to bring this free public service to a new public park that opened in 2021, the same summer that Dance Is Life was founded. Part of a 4-mile stretch along the Hudson River, the park is now permanently designated as open space for public recreational activities, thanks to the Hudson River Park Act that passed in 1998. This expansive location has plenty of room for dance partners, roller skaters, and hula hoopers to spread out and fully express themselves.

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HOSTED BY
Natasha Diggs
Abdiel

DJ
Natasha Diggs

WHEN
Monday, July 22, 2024
5pm-Sundown

WHERE
Hudson River Park’s Pier 76, NYC

ACCESSIBLITY
Download directions to Dance Is Life with information on accessible transit, parking, and public restrooms

 

Photos by David D.G.Noble (top, previous page), Stephen McFadden (bottom)