New York CTMD fixes October 5 for premiere of Beat of Boroughs

The Center for Traditional Music and Dance has announced a date for its program series — Beat of the Boroughs.

While announcing this in a statement on Thursday September 24, 2020, CTMD stated that this year’s program has been slated for October 5, 2020.

It states that the program is aimed at celebrating the artistry of fifty of New York City’s leading immigrant performers and diverse cultural traditions from around the world found right in New York City.

“It also furthers the public’s understanding and appreciation of their work in these difficult times,” the statement reads.

Every week starting Monday, October 5, 2020, CTMD will highlight three artists or ensembles in an online format of their own creation.

Whether a workshop, lecture, demonstration, or streamed live performance, a stellar cast of musicians and dancers will present their personal stories, remarkable traditions, and pandemic experiences.

Arun Venugopal of WNYC will serve as the series host and introduce each episode.

The artists highlighted and celebrated range from the Afro-Colombian musical family of Johanna Castaneda and Ronald Polo in Queens to the embodied storytelling of Japanese dancer Sachiyo Ito in Manhattan, from the intergenerational Sri Lankan Dance Academy of New York representing Staten Island to Afro-Puerto Rican bomberos Los Pleneros de la 21 in the Bronx, among many others.

The resulting collection of their combined voices, which will remain available online on CTMD’s website will serve as a powerful document and platform for continuing advocacy for traditional arts in the city of immigrants.

“Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online is made possible through the generosity of the New York Community Trust’s NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund and the Scherman Foundation,” the statement says.

The Center for Traditional Music and Dance was founded in 1968. The Center for Traditional Music and Dance has worked closely with dozens of diverse communities over the past five decades in creating a number of ongoing arts programs, festivals and community-based cultural organizations.

Each year, CTMD serves thousands of New Yorkers through a full calendar of programs that provide unique opportunities to experience and participate in the City’s rich cultural traditions.