July 30, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The Long Island City and Astoria waterfront will be the site of a massive dance festival this weekend, with all day performances taking place in four parks.
The INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, scheduled for August 4 and 5, will see a total of 144 performances from 22 national and international choreographers at Hunters Point South Park, Gantry Plaza State Park, Queensbridge Park, and Socrates Sculpture Park from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on both days.
The free performances, which take on themes relating to society and social justice, are broken up into four 75-minute dance sequences in each park, with each sequence featuring dance workshops that the public can partake in. Performance rounds begin at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Hunters Point South Park, for example, will see five artists and groups simultaneously perform at specific areas through the park, beginning at the sand field by LIC Landing.
The remaining parks will also see between five to six performers dance in one-hour and 15 minute segments.
In addition, the public can join in on 20-minute workshops with choreographers during specific performance rounds, which are noted in the festival’s schedule.
The festival is in its second year, and was founded by Svea Schneider, a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Last year’s event saw more than 7,500 attendees, organizers say.
The festival’s mission, according to INSITU, is to active public spaces through dance and to create community through the arts, especially along the western Queens waterfront.
For the full performance schedule and maps, visit www.insitudancefestival.com