Queens, NY, April 9, 2024—Korea Art Forum (KAF) is excited to announce its impending operation of an Open Street at the 62nd cul-de-sac on the North side of Woodside Avenue to the LIRR Woodside Station. At this venue, KAF will present the Spring 2024 Woodside Dance Project, a series of interactive outdoor events on April 20, 21, 28, May 5, and 12 from 2 to 4 pm.

This project, curated by brandon king, will feature dance performers from diverse origins, including Jendaya Dash, Thomas Gallagher, Priscilla Marrero, Sari Nordman, Vong Pak, and others. It will additionally present movement performances by various community groups, such as senior citizens from Big Six Tower NORC in the Woodside community. Without setting up an elevated stage or special platform, these performers will freely use the street environment to communicate conflict and connection through movement and sound, testing art’s transformative ability and capacity to integrate into ordinary life situations. 

The dynamic dance practices, shared in movement and sound, will promote racial justice through intra- and intercultural connections. With increasing anti-Asian, anti-immigrant, and anti-Black sentiments around the country and in New York City, this dance project aims to draw bridges between disconnected communities by cross-sharing visual and sonic languages through music and dance. By utilizing these universal forms of expression, we hope to see openings for deeper cultural and social understandings, which can strengthen connections within communities. 

Woodside, Queens, has a high Asian and Asian Immigrant population. Asia is the largest continent by land area and population, embracing many religions, cultures, and languages. The project features diverse performances to generate deeper understandings between ethnically different communities, which generally have limited access to one another. Sound and dance can be the communicator and translator, especially when there are language barriers. In this way, we aim to sow the seeds for the cross-pollination our communities need to exhibit solidarity among AAPI communities, combating the dominant narrative of separating, isolating, and pitting BIPOC communities against one another. 

Join us for these outdoor dance performances, which promise to be an immersive process connecting communities across geographic, cultural, and national experiences. This Dance Project in Woodside, Queens, invites communities, dancers, and sound teams to share movement and sound design experiences from 2 pm – 4 pm for four consecutive weekends in April and May 2024. They will produce a short series of deliberate movements to sound utilizing the street environment and dancing free from anywhere and on any surface throughout the dead-end street. Special guest visual artists, such as Akiko Ichikawa, Eiko Nishida, Minshik Shin, and others, will contribute their art projects to enhance the cultural experience and pleasure of the audiences.

Program Summary: 

Woodside Dance Project will be at the 62nd cul-de-sac between Woodside Avenue and LIRR Woodside Station from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 20, 21, 28, and May 5 and 12, 2024. 

Join performers, experienced movement practitioners, and sound technicians as they engage with the local environment and see their unique creative processes. This spring, experience four consecutive weekends of immersive art experiences that showcase the performers' and community's diverse talents and perspectives.