Dance Party
This summer, Dance Party returns to Bryant Park and celebrates its 11th anniversary season! Every Wednesday and Thursday, from April 30 to May 15, meet at the iconic Bryant Park fountain at 6pm to learn basic dance steps with expert instructors. Then test those new dance moves to live music performed by a diverse selection of bands from 7pm-8:30pm.
This year's series kicks off with a night of salsa's greatest hits performed by Grammy nominated Alfredo de la Fe All Star Band. Dance Party continues with instruction and dancing to live music with themed nights including Motown, bachata and merengue, Afrofusion, and Brazilian samba and forro. The series closes with a four-hour Latin Festival featuring four dance genres with the help of two legendary bands, Sebastian Natal & The Orchestra and Flaco Navaja & The Razor Blades.
Dance Party is hosted and produced by Talia Castro-Pozo.
Complimentary bag check is availible at Dance Party events. Our friendly staff can help store your belongings near our Petanque courts, just north of the Shop + Info booth.
Attendees can enjoy cuisine from the five boroughs with a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors curated by Hester Street Fair.
Stout NYC also offers giant pretzels, gourmet popcorn and other light bites as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Events are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors, but may continue in light rain. Follow @bryantparknyc on Twitter and Instagram for day-of event updates.
Formerly “Peruvian Ballet Representative to the World,” Talía Castro-Pozo represented Peru in the most prestigious ballet competitions around the globe. Talía started dancing at the age of three, becoming the youngest soloist to join the National Ballet of Peru at age 14. After relocating to New York City to study at the prestigious School of American Ballet, she was able to expand her dance abilities by training in other forms of dance including, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Ballroom & Latin, among other styles. Talía graduated from the William Esper Studio, studied acting under Bill Esper, voice, and movement.
She is currently playing “Mona” for the Hulu limited mini series Fleishman Is in Trouble, where she is a recurring co-star alongside Jesse Eisenberg and Claire Danes. She has also choreographed for television, movies, and commercials, including the TV series The Godfather of Harlem. She starred in the movie Isn’t It Romantic as principal dancer, as well as Falling in Rhythm, Summer of Sam, and Tango Finish Off-Broadway, among others.
As a dance coach she has trained professional dancers in partner dancing including Broadway dancers for choreographer Christopher Gattelli. Talia has managed numerous iconic dance studios in NYC and has taught master classes at BDC, Lincoln Center, Columbia University, NYU to name a few. As spokesperson and guest artist, she has been featured on NBC’s The Today Show with Patrick Swayze, Tiki Barber, Marc Anthony, Pitbull, The New York Times, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS, Univision, Telemundo, and celebrated as “The Woman of Salsa” by Latina Magazine. Talia is the face of hundreds of commercials and print campaigns in the U.S. and abroad, for companies such as: American Express, American Airlines, Discovery Channel, Expedia, Google, Yahoo, to name a few.
She is the producer of Latin Mondays at Taj, Sunset Salsa with Talia, Bryant Park Dance Party, and Midtown Dance. She is also a member of the International Dance Council, a Board Director of the Unspoken Smiles Foundation (which helps at-risk children develop healthy habits for life), and Board Member of Ballroom Basix USA, which provides school children physical, social, emotional, and cultural engagement through dance, serving more than 20,000 school children in over a hundred NYC schools.
Dance instruction at 6pm
Live music and dance at 7pm
Wednesday, April 30
Salsa's greatest hits
with Alfredo de la Fé All Star Band
Thursday, May 1
Motown "Dancing in the Streets"
with KD Browne
Wednesday, May 7
Bachata Tradicional and merengue
with Mayra Belllo y Orquesta
Thursday, May 8
Afrofusion feat. Nkumu Katalay
with Gentleman Brawlers Feat. Nkumu Katalay
Wednesday, May 14
Brazillian samba, forro & mais
with Bossa Brazil Band
Thursday, May 15
Latin Festival (6pm-10pm)
Salsa, timba, candombe, and Salsa Gorda
with Sebastian Natal & The Orchestra
+ Flaco Navaja & The Razor Blades