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Little Island Announces Inaugural Summer Performances
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2021
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 2, 2021
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Little Island, the hottest, tiniest floating public park in New York City, opened to a not-infinitesimal amount of fanfare at the end of May. Everybody loves the $260 million, Barry Diller-funded Hudson River park, which is being treated by New Yorkers as some mix of Instagram backdrop and picnic destination. As if you needed any other reason to make your way over there, the park has announced its first slate of special live events happening there over the next two months, including concerts, ballet performances and more.
The events kick off on June 19th and 20th, with two nights of performances with Broadway Inspirational Voices’ (BIV) program Broadway Our Way LIVE: On An Island In The River. BIV Founder and Little Island Artist-in-Residence Michael McElroy leads a group—including Ayodele Casel, Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis, Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, and Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad—in gospel arrangements of classic Broadway showtunes.
Then on Saturday July 3rd, American Ballet Theatre will stage two performances featuring six company dancers; those performances will be followed by a discussion with the dancers and creative team about the process of creating work during the pandemic.
If you have kids, or you are just really into kids music, The Little Orchestra Society will perform the percussive Things That Go Bang on Saturday, July 10th and Sunday, July 11th.
Then a week later on July 17th and 18th, the World Music Institute will put on multiple free shows all day for Island Music Weekend, featuring performances of live music and dance from island nations and territories including Cape Verde, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and St. Vincent.
That will culminate with evening performances in The Amph on Saturday, July 17th, featuring the Cuban rhythms of Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, and Sunday, July 18th, featuring Jamaican dancehall legend Sister Nancy.
Tickets are on sale now, and you can get full info, including starting times, here.
Little Island is located at Pier 55, across from West 13th Street, and is now open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Timed entry reservations are required, and sell out fast (admission is free).
Tagged
Little Island
Music
manhattan
concerts
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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