Check out the lineup of stellar performers that will keep you dancing and entertained all day long for National Dance Day GSO 2021!
Friday, September 17
7pm - A Wicked Silence World Premiere
Greensboro Downtown Parks Artist in Residence, Alexandra Joye Warren, will premiere A Wicked Silence as a kickoff to National Dance Day GSO on Friday, September 17. This choreoplay will explore the history and consequences of the Eugenics program in North Carolina through site-specific dance and spoken word throughout LeBauer and Center City Parks. To learn more about this performance, click here!
Saturday, September 18
National Dance Day GSO 2021 Lineup:
New this year!
2pm - NC Dance Festival "Dance Wave"
In conjunction with the North Carolina Dance Festival's 30th season, Dance Project will present a moment of connection across the state. Join us as we pass a “movement wave” from one end of the state to the other on National Dance Day! People of all ages and abilities are invited to join in the guided movement as we learn what it really means to connect with others through dance.
3pm
Tabia McKinzie of Dance Project, Afro-Rhythms
Tabia is an instructor with Dance Project, housed in the Cultural Center in Downtown Greensboro. She will be teaching an Afro-Rhythms lesson, blending funk and flavor to spice up your time at National Dance Day GSO! Afro-Rhythms is an incredible energetic dance style that reflects traditional African polyrhythmic music. Get ready to get on your feet and learn some new moves from Tabia!
3:15pm
Daliana Dance
Daliana Dance has been committed to providing the best tapestry of dance education that Greensboro has to offer since 2010. Their experienced, talented instructors work with each and every student, from dance enthusiasts to seasoned professionals, developing their skills while fostering their passion for movement. Daliana's competition team will be there on National Dance Day to share their passion and expertise with you!
3:30pm
Maura Berry
Maura Berry is a dancer and choreographer based in Winston-Salem, NC specializing in modern, ballet, and jazz. She is excited to share some of her work with the Greensboro community on National Dance Day!
3:45pM
NC Brazilian Arts Project
NC Brazilian Arts Project is a company dedicated to showcasing, educating, and supporting Afro-Brazilian movement arts. Join them in their mission to educate themselves and others on the joy that is Brazilian culture! They perform Samba, Samba Reggae, Capoeira, and many other styles!
4pm
Jaleel Jayyfierce Cheek
Jaleel Cheek's background includes a mix of studio training and street dance, helping him share his unique style with the Greensboro community! Also known as Jayyfierce, he can't wait to teach audiences at National Dance Day about J-Setting and its importance to queer people of color.
4:15pm
Royal Expressions School of Dance
Royal Expressions School of Dance is a non-profit dance studio focused on using dance lessons to promote happy, healthy living. They offer dance classes for ages 2 to adult, with a variety of genres like jazz, tap, contemporary, hip-hop, and ballet. Don't miss them at this year's Dance Day celebration!
4:30pm
Greensboro Ballet
Greensboro Ballet's mission is to inspire, invigorate, and excite its audiences and artists through the ever-evolving art of Classical and Contemporary Ballet. The School of Greensboro Ballet is the only non-profit classical ballet school in the GSO area, and one of relatively few in the entire country. Their goal is to offer the finest ballet education to both adults and children of all ages! The Greensboro Ballet is a company of professional dancers who share the love of expressing human thought and emotion through the international language of ballet and dance performance. They cannot wait to share this love with you!
4:45pm
Corazon Gitano Flamenco
Corazon Gitano is a group of performers specializing in Flamenco Dance and Classical Spain Dance. They seek to publicize the diversity of dance and culture, offering classes for beginners on Saturdays at Sapphire Studio. Come out to celebrate their style and learn some new moves with them!
5pm
Community Dance, Jacob Barker of Dance Project
Each year at National Dance Day GSO, we present a Community Dance, a set of choreography that our community can learn in advance of the event to come out and dance together, flashmob style! Follow along with Dance Project instructor, Jacob Barker, to learn this year's Community Dance. Practice your moves at home and join us on National Dance Day to participate in the Community Dance Performance at 5pm. This year's dance is set to "Love Never Felt So Good" by Michael Jackson (featuring Justin Timberlake).
5:15pm
Carolina Heartland, USA Dance Chapter 6092
Carolina Heartland is a local chapter of a national ballroom dance organization seeking to spread their passion! They support both recreational dance and dancesport, or competitive ballroom dancing. Join them to learn new moves on National Dance Day!
5:30pm
JiWon Ha-
Jiwon Ha is a dancer and dance educator from South Korea who currently teaches at Elon University. She will teach the Dance Day crowd about Korean Folk!
5:45pm
Ballet Folklorico Mexican Tradition of Julio Ruiz
Ballet Folklorico is a living celebration of the traditional music and dance of Mexico! Their mission is to build greater awareness and understanding of Latino culture through the arts, and to bring unity to our diverse communities through the beauty and fun of Mexican traditions. Established choreographer, director, and dancer Julio Ruiz invites the community to take part in this mission at National Dance Day and the group's weekly workshops in the Cultural Center.
6pm
The BBoy Ballet
TheBBoyBallet was founded upon a shared passion for collaborative dance forms to reinforce the notion that contemporary hip-hop dance can be done everywhere and is not limited to the theater or studio dance lessons. There's no better way to celebrate this mission than to bring your moves out to the park on National Dance Day!
6:15pm
Seema Viswanath
Seema Viswanath is an Indian classical dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Morrisville, NC. She dances two styles of classical dance: Bharathanatyam and Kathak. She is also the founder of Nritya MayaNanda School of Arts. We can't wait to see what she has in store for you on National Dance Day!
6:30pm
GSO Salseros
GSO Salseros is a group of friends with diverse backgrounds who met right here in Greensboro! They all share a love for dancing Latin rhythms. Members of this group represent the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Philippines, and Colombia. This year, they will perform a salsa song together, and then more local dancers will join them for a second performance of a Cuban Rueda de Casino.
6:45pm
Be Smooth Urban Ballroom and Line Dance
Be Smooth Urban Ballroom and Line Dance teaches dancers of all skill levels how to feel the rhythm and have a great time! Join them on National Dance Day and get into the groove!
7-9pm: Glow GSO Dance Party with DJ Mike Wawa
At the conclusion of our artist-instructor demos, stick around for a dance party that lasts into the night! DJ MikeWawa will lay down the tracks and keep you up on your feet until the very end!
DJ MikeWawa grew up in the small town of Staunton, VA. In his teen years, he discovered his passion for the arts and curating fun social events. At James Madison University, he developed his
special skills as an entertainer, and this is where he found his love for DJing. After leaving college, he relocated to Virginia Beach, where he began to learn about
music production. He and a best friend created a music production group called NesLace, producing for the local artists. After some years in the area, he wanted to expand, so he decided to relocate to Greensboro, NC. Here in Greensboro, he and his cousin decided to create an event company called Otis & Wawa. Since then, Otis & Wawa has held several events in the city that bring high energy and a very cool vibe! Join him as he keeps the music going on National Dance Day!
Your Support Means a lot
Like all of our programs at Greensboro Downtown Parks, National Dance Day GSO is free to attend every year. We're proud to put on this event, showcasing the talented performing artists of our local community. Especially this year, when the coronavirus pandemic has taken an incredible toll on non-profits like us, artists, and the entire creative sector, we're grateful to have this event as a shining example of what coming together looks like, even after spending time apart. Support from individuals and sponsor organizations is critical to bolstering the work of the local arts and culture economy. You can lend your support by donating or becoming a Friend of the Park and help us continue to bring free programs to the public.
Special thanks to our sponsors for helping us return to an in-person event this year:
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