Music, Art, Ping-Pong and More: Downtown Brooklyn Partnership Announces its Summer Events Lineup for Outdoor Fun in the Sun!

Downtown Brooklyn Presents Continues with a Summer Full of Free Performances, Celebrations, Open Rehearsals, Exercise and Dance Classes, Dance Parties, and Musical Happy Hours

June 03, 2021

(Brooklyn, June 3 2021) – Downtown Brooklyn Partnership (DBP) today announced the Summer season of its annual events series, Downtown Brooklyn Presents, which celebrates the people and the plazas of one of the nation’s fastest growing downtowns. After more than a year of uncertainty, NYC is able to gather safely again, and the DTBK Presents program provides a great way for the neighborhood to celebrate together outdoors.

Downtown Brooklyn’s creative energy is already in full swing with exciting events happening throughout the neighborhood. Opening the Summer season will be the Distanced Disco dance parties every Thursday in June, where renowned dance party, Vinyl Nights, brings celebrated DJs to play the hits that shaped NYC club culture. Summer Serendipity will charm Brooklyn Commons Park lunch-goers with pop-up vignettes of dance, circus, mime, and music in July. Capoeira classes with local Downtown Brooklyn business Motumbaxé, will bring the Afro-Brazilian martial art and dance form to Albee Square while Chelsea Piers Fitness returns with its AMP’d hi-intensity classes on The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Also at The Plaza, end of the month Funky Friday parties highlight and celebrate different cultures.

Crowd favorites such as the wildly popular Zumba classes with Dodge YMCA and Albee Square Happy Hours will continue into Summer, and this year, Willoughby Walks will take place on Willoughby Street between Pearl and Jay Streets - when these blocks are converted into a car-free oasis with live music, giant games, and a pop-up park where the public can lounge on beach chairs.

Special events include a celebratory weekend of dance with Mark Morris Dance Company, with their first live performance in over a year; a Juneteenth film series with 651 Arts; BRIC’s Brooklyn Poetry Slam; and Everybooty Tea Dance 2021, a Pride celebration for elders in collaboration with BAM.

The Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency Initiative continues at Brooklyn Commons Park through June, offering free outdoor rehearsal space to artists and the opportunity for the public to watch companies in their creative process. The second iteration of the program takes place at The Plaza at 300 Ashland from July through September. A full line-up of artists will be announced soon.

Advanced registration is encouraged for physical activities, and in some cases, participants must sign a waiver in order to participate. Everyone must follow required health protocols in order to keep our events safe for all to enjoy.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PRESENTS 2021

Summer Calendar:

Distanced Disco with Vinyl Nights
Thursdays June 3 through June 24| 5PM-8PM
Albee Square (rain location: Understudy at DeKalb Market Hall)
We can dance again - at a distance of course! Vinyl Nights is back. Rock with the Mobile Mondays crew and dance to all the hits that shaped NYC club culture - Funk & Soul, Disco, Hip-Hop, House, Latin, all spun on vinyl. Guests DJs include:

• 6/3 Misbehaviour & Emz
• 6/10 Joey & Woof
• 6/17 Misbehaviour & Miranda Maxwell
• 6/24 Misbehaviour & Kenny Parker

Albee Square Happy Hour @ Al B’s
Tuesdays, June 8 and June 15 | 5PM-7PM
Albee Square
Grab a drink at Downtown Brooklyn’s newest outdoor beer garden at AL B’s accompanied by local musicians at this weekly happy hour music series.

• 6/8 Freddy DeBoe Blues Band featuring Billy Aukstik
  Known for his soulful blues and rock & roll saxophone sound, Freddy DeBoe has traveled the world with some of the greatest soul singers of our time, including Brooklyn’s own Daptone Records artists James Hunter, Lee Fields, and the late, great Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones.
• 6/15 Fred Thomas of the J.B.’s
  Brooklyn-based Fred Thomas occupies a very special niche in the history R&B. As James Brown’s principal bassist since 1971, he participated in one the most prolific periods in the Godfather of Soul’s incredible career as a member of Brown’s band, the J.B.’s In his band, Fred Thomas is front and center singing, playing bass, and tearing into a mix of blues, soul classics, J.B. hits, and deep cuts.

Chelsea Piers Fitness AMP’D
Mondays | 6PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Start your week with Chelsea Piers Fitness! Hit the pavement and push your body to new limits in this class that combines bodyweight strength and cardio, challenging both your energy systems and motor control. This class is open to all levels. Participant waiver required.

Zumba with Dodge YMCA
Wednesdays | 5:30PM-6:30PM
Brooklyn Commons Park
(Note: June 9, 16 classes will take place at Willoughby Square Park, Duffield and Willoughby Streets; July 14 class location TBA)
Sweat it out Wednesday evenings at Brooklyn Commons Park with free Zumba classes by the Dodge YMCA with Dodge Y favorite, Natarsha McQueen! Participants will be required to sign a waiver in advance of the event.

Mark Morris on the Plaza
Friday, June 11 | 6PM-8PM
Saturday, June 12 | 12PM-8PM
Sunday, June 13 | 1PM-3PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Mark Morris Dance Group hosts a celebratory weekend in its first live performance in over a year. Also performing work by Mark Morris are the two Student Companies of The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center. Throughout the weekend, community members can participate in free classes for all ages and abilities.

Mobile Drag Performance Unit, presented by FagSigns
Saturdays, June 12, June 19, June 26 | 2PM
Albee Square
Join us for a weekly series of pop-up curbside shows performed from a glammed up, mobile stage of fun. Celebrating the art of drag, these events bring something usually relegated to the interior of a bar or club, outdoors. Featuring performances by Brita filter, Lagoona Bloo, DJ Lady Simon (June 12); Robyn Banks, Robin Fierce, Lola Michele Kiki, Hibiscus, DJ IVENCHY (June 19); Scarlet Envy, Xunami Muse, Essa Noche, DJ Loyaalteee (June 26) and more/

Juneteenth Celebration: (RE)VISION presented by 651 Arts in partnership with Rooftop Films
Friday, June 18 | 8PM-11PM
Saturday, June 19 | 8PM-11PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
In its inaugural Juneteenth commemoration, 651 ARTS presents a weekend of “silent” film screenings (headsets will be provided) that center on the theme of futurism in the spirit of moving forward in the ongoing fight for equality and justice and in a post-pandemic world. Films include Ronan Mckenzie and Joy Yamusangie’s WATA, the regional premiere of Charles O. Anderson’s (RE)current Unrest, an encore presentation of 651’s world premiere of Marjani Forté-Saunders’ Memoirs of a…Unicorn: BLUEPRINT, and the world premiere of the provocative Cyborg Heaven, an exploration of the Black urban movement through House Ballroom culture and hip hop. Soho House resident DJ, Qool DJ Marv will sonically start each evening.

Black Creatives + Culture Market and Art Show: Juneteenth Edition
Saturday, June 19th | 11AM-7PM
Sunday June 20th | 11AM-7PM
Albee Square and City Point
In honor of Juneteenth, DA SPOT NYC in partnership with City Point and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership hosts this inaugural event, featuring 35+ curated, local, Black-owned and POC independent creative brands, a live art exhibition, a conversation series with guest panelists, and live DJ music.

Willoughby Walks
Monday, June 21 | 12PM-6PM
Willoughby Street @ Pearl St. (near Willoughby Plaza)
Sunbathe in our lawn chairs, bask in a car-free street, and enjoy the longest day of the year! DBP closes down and transforms the streets with games, fun activities, and a musical celebration on Make Music New York day. Full schedule and list of activities TBA. Visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com/events for updates.

Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency Initiative
Brooklyn Commons Park* (Note that from June 8 – June 20, the Rehearsal Residency Initiative will take place in a location, TBA)
DBP created the Downtown Brooklyn Rehearsal Residency Initiative during the lockdown in 2020 to provide free outdoor rehearsal space to artists and arts organizations. Enjoy seeing artists immersed in their process in the serenity of Brooklyn Commons Park.

Schedule:

• Mondays-Wednesdays | 12-4PM Babacar Top and Topdance Dance Company
• Thursdays | 12-4PM Project.KB
• Fridays | 12-4PM JKing Dance Company (JKDC)
• Saturdays | 12-4PM Batala New York
• Saturdays | 4-6PM Artichoke Dance Company
• Sundays | 1-4PM Jamal Jackson Dance Company

Funky Fridays
Fourth Fridays, June - Aug| 5PM-8PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Join DBP for celebratory end-of-the-month parties all throughout the summer in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District.

• Friday, June 25: BAM Everybooty Tea Dance 2021
  BAM’s annual pride event moves outdoors with priority invites for LGBTQ seniors. Honoring the Tea Dance tradition begun in the late sixties, this afternoon soiree will feature disco, line dancing, a vogue lesson by Archie Burnett (Father of the House of Ninja), a fashion forward performance by Monster Babylon, and high energy DJ-ing by drag performers Hannah Lou, Zavaleta Queen, and Neon Calypso.

• Friday, July 23: TBA, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com/event… for updates.
• Friday, August 27: Carnival
  New York City’s West Indian Day Parade is consistently one of the most anticipated events of the year. Start the celebration in Downtown Brooklyn with music and revelry. Complete schedule TBA, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com/events for updates.

Brooklyn Poetry Slam hosted by BRIC
Tuesday, June 29 | 6:30PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Join BRIC for this first ever outdoor celebration of Brooklyn Poetry Slam, hosted by Mahogany L. Browne, music by Jive Poetic, and featuring the voices of Brooklyn. Their first in-person Brooklyn Poetry Slam in over a year promises inspiration. Small open mic to follow.

Capoeira Classes in collaboration with Motumbaxé
Tuesdays in July | 6:30PM-7:30PM
Albee Square
Local martial arts studio Motumbaxé will make Albee Square the home of the Afro-Brazilian martial art form, capoeira. Combining self-defense, acrobatics, dance, music and song, the art form is derived from traditions brought across the Atlantic Ocean by enslaved Africans and fueled by the desire for freedom. Taught by Mestre Lampréia, the class will build confidence, focus, and community. All levels welcome!

Summer Serendipity
Tuesdays in July | 12-2PM
Brooklyn Commons Park
Summer Serendipity will charm Brooklyn Commons Park lunch-goers in July with pop-up vignettes of dance, circus, mime, and music.

• July 6: Soles of Duende
  A multicultural, all-female trio based in the rhythms of tap, flamenco, and kathak dance, Soles of Duende explores the diverse backgrounds and cultures of the three dancers through a unified performance.
• July 13: Cyrkus!
  Susan Voyticky performs on the cyr wheel. Susan has studied at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris and The Circus Space in London and has worked for a wide variety of companies, including Keith Hennessy’s Circo Zero, the New Pickle Circus in San Francisco, Universoul Circus, Universal Studios, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, and Circus Abyssinia in New York.
• July 20: Sterling Strings
  Sterling Strings is a diverse quartet of professional musicians who trained at top music conservatories, and have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Tonight Show, and on Broadway.
• July 27: Broken Box Mime Theater
  Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) is a collaborative theater company that reimagines French pantomime for contemporary audiences, erasing the spoken language barrier and championing the power of simplicity in performance. At Brooklyn Commons Park, BKBX will perform a curated pop-up setlist of short stories that range from metaphorical to realistic, romantic to weird.

Young Dancemakers Company Performance
Wednesday, July 21 | 4PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Young Dancemakers Company – a performing ensemble of NYC teens – presents a free concert of their unique, original choreography based on meaningful personal and social themes. They will perform their latest works and an excerpt of Ann Reinking’s Ritmo y Ruido, set by artists from the renowned Latino dance organization Ballet Hispánico. The one-hour concert will be followed by lively dance-making with the audience, led by the company.

Brooklyn Music School Summer Institute Recitals
Friday, July 30 | 3PM – 5PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Join Brooklyn Music School to hear the musical and dance creations of their Summer Institute Rock, Dance, Jazz and Orchestra students!

Willoughby Plaza Lunchtime Music Series
Tuesdays in August |12-2PM
Willoughby Plaza
NYC’s best musicians provide a soundtrack to your afternoon. Complete schedule TBA, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com/events for updates.

Bare Feet Downtown Brooklyn
Thursdays in August | 6-8PM
Albee Square
Join the host of Emmy-winning travel series Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, as she brings some of her favorite dances to Downtown Brooklyn! Enjoy a cultural journey through music and dance, and of course FUN! This year, we highlight dances from the African Diaspora. Everyone is welcome to join on the dance floor!

• August 5: Moroccan Chaabi with Esraa Warda, in collaboration with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance
  An exclusive dance experience exploring one of North Africa’s popular traditional dances, Moroccan Chaabi. Chaabi means ‘of people’ and represents the culture, voice and spirit of the people. While this dance has some similarities to Middle Eastern belly dance movements like shimmying the hips and waist, Chaabi is decidedly African. Set to the sounds of live percussion, as is common with African-rooted dance traditions, Moroccan Chaabi is body positive, women-centered, improvisational and communal.
• August 12: Line Dancin’ Downtown with Kadie, in collaboration with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance
  Experience the funk and spirit of Line Dance! Perfect for all levels and a great way to socialize with your friends! Kadie starts off with a demo and then moves into a warmup with classic, well known line dances like the Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, followed by more complex dances like K-Wang Wit It, Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Really Care About Us and I Can’t Get Over You!
• August 19: Garifuna Dance with Chief Joseph Chatoyer Dance Company featuring Felix Gamboa
  Of Arawak Indian and African descent, the Garifuna population was originally from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and were exiled to Belize and Honduras in 1797. Since 2009, Chief Joseph Chatoyer Dance Company has created visibility and awareness of the Garifuna people in New York by showcasing their rich culture through music and dance.
• August 26: Soca with Careitha Davis, in collaboration with Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance
  Representing Trinidad and Tobago, Soca powerhouse Careitha Davis mixes traditional folklore with popular dance styles, bringing the dynamic Caribbean energy of carnival season to Downtown Brooklyn. This performance will be followed by a short lesson featuring group movement to embody the spirit and history of Soca music. This is all done to the latest Soca hits and live percussion for you to enjoy, dance and sweat to.

Brooklyn Music School Summer Institute Recitals
Friday, August 20 | 3PM – 5PM
The Plaza at 300 Ashland
Join Brooklyn Music School to hear the musical and dance creations of their Summer Institute Rock and Jazz students!

Kid-Friendly Ping Pong Happy Hours
Tuesdays, August 24 through September 28 | 4:30PM-6:30PM
Brooklyn Commons Park
School is back in session and ping pong returns! DJs set the soundtrack on Tuesday evenings while you enjoy friendly ping pong games with The Push.

Note: paddles and balls are sanitized after each use.

Back to School/Dear Summer Vibes Market
Saturday, August 28 |11AM-7PM
Launched in 2019 by DA SPOT NYC, Dear Summer Vibes is an annual Brooklyn-style block party bidding farewell to summer while celebrating the creative culture. This year, in collaboration with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and City Point BKLYN, the event will have a back-to-school theme with an 80’s feel, expanding the celebration to all ages. The event will feature NYC hottest emerging indie bands and talent with a marketplace, live art walk, music, games and all things summer.

The DTBK Presents Fall schedule will be released in August.

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About Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is a not-for-profit local development corporation that serves as the primary champion for Downtown Brooklyn as a world-class business, cultural, educational, residential, and retail destination. Working together with the three business improvement districts (BID) that it manages – the MetroTech BID, Fulton Mall Improvement Association, and Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn BID – the Partnership’s diverse activities include attracting new businesses and improving the environment for existing companies; facilitating the construction of public spaces and streetscapes that promote an active and cohesive community; supporting and promoting Downtown Brooklyn’s cultural assets; and encouraging a unified sense of place and an engaged civic community. For more information, visit www.downtownbrooklyn.com.