Bryant Park’s free summer dance series

It’s (almost) summertime in New York City, and for many of us, that means two things: competing at Nationals in NYC and free stuff to take advantage of in the city. So what happens when you combine those two? Well, you get a great list of stuff to do in New York for when you’re not running solos or buying last-minute bobby pins—and these activities are all dance-related!

• Every Wednesday in June, Bryant Park (in midtown Manhattan) will offer free dance lessons followed by dancing and live music. Introduce your students to forms of social dance that may be new to them, like tango (June 3), bachata (June 10), West Coast Swing (June 17) and Latin jazz, salsa and mambo (June 24).
• Need a July activity? Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing—a $17 ticket gets you a dance lesson and a good two-and-a-half hours of dancing with live bands. Salsa, mambo, hustle, tango, Balboa and collegiate shag, West Coast Swing and the Lindy Hop are all slated styles for July.
• On Thursdays in July, for an hour at lunch, Broadway in Bryant Park happens: Cast members from Broadway’s most popular shows, like The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and Pippin, perform songs from the musicals. Chairs are set up on the lawn, but you can also bring your own blanket and park it on the grass. Also, it’s free!

More dance in Bryant Park

Photos courtesy of Bryant Park Productions