QUEENS : The Queensboro Dance Festival (QDF) is back on tour with over 30 free dance performances, themed parties, and classes throughout Queens outdoor spaces June 7-Sept 13, 2025, announcing this summer’s lineup of all Queens-based dance companies, dance artist services, and new partnerships as they lean deeper into holistic community engagement this season.
With 30 free outdoor events all summer, the tour launches on June 7, 3-7pm as a special extended day presenting all 21 Queens-based dance companies of diverse cultures and styles. Activating several open street plaza blocks and Travers Park in Jackson Heights, audiences will experience local dance styles including Argentine folk, traditional indigenous Filipino, Bolivian Caporales, modern, Classical Indian Odissi, salsa, Ecuadorian, hip-hop, Chinese, West African, tap, Flamenco, house, Classical Indian Kathak, Jazz, Mexican, ballet, Korean, and fusions that embody the gems of artist stories that reflect the World’s Borough. Audiences can expect to see a different lineup of artists at every event as the festival tours throughout the borough, with an unprecedented vast majority of dance performances being premieres.
Queensboro Dance Festival will have events in Jackson Heights, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Astoria, Corona, Woodhaven, Far Rockaway, Ridgewood, Flushing, Bayside, and St. Albans. New programming features include a Family Festival partnership with MoMA PS1, and intergenerational teaching residency and guest performance from Jacob Riis Settlement’s youth and older adult programs. Special guest performances throughout the season include Queens DJs, live bands, neighborhood youth dance studios, and older adult dance groups. QDF is also working closely with local company All Hands in Motion to increase accessibility to the hard-of-hearing and deaf community. New dance artist services for QDF’s companies include choreographer consult sessions, peer-led roundtables, and physical therapy sessions throughout the season with SPEAR Physical Therapy. All programs are free.
“We set an intention this season to carve out space for the dancers to connect more with one another through the lens of creative process and community,” says Founding Executive Director Karesia Batan. “And our hope is this network of support will have a ripple effect out to our many neighborhood communities we serve. We are so grateful to all our venue and programming partners that support this vision of a holistic dance ecosystem.”
“For the twelfth year in a row, the Queensboro Dance Festival continues their commitment to bringing the performing arts to our parks, plazas, and public spaces,” says Council Member Shekar Krishnan, District 25. “Through dance, they highlight the diversity of our borough and celebrate our immigrant communities. Now more than ever, we are reminded that bridging our cultures makes us a stronger community, and we’re grateful for the work of Queensboro Dance Festival in doing so. Congrats on another fantastic summer lineup!”
“Northwell Health is proud to support Queensboro Dance Festival’s work as the Lead Sponsor,” said Nirmal Pandya, Vice President, Ambulatory Operations, Central Region, Northwell Health. “We believe movement and dance is integral to health. While Queensboro Dance Festival uplifts neighborhoods and cultures across Queens, Northwell is on a mission to Raise Health for Queens. Here’s to dancing, connecting—and living our healthiest lives together!”
“We are excited to be deepening MoMA PS1’s community partnership with Queensboro Dance Festival for this year’s Family Festival in June,” says Molly Kurzius, Director of External Affairs at MoMA PS1. It has been a wonderful collaboration to have QDF enliven the public plaza at our main entrance with their exciting dance events that complement PS1 programs.”
This year’s dance companies and schedule below (subject to change):
Ah-Molla Dance Collective
Aishwarya Madhav
Cole Collective
Cucala Dance Company
Drye/Marinaro Dance Company
Flamenco Latino
Gotham Dance Theater
Shuqi Cong
Jatary Sunchy Danza y Proyección Escénica
Kinding Sindaw
Kofago Dance Ensemble
Mala’s School of Odissi Dance
Manhatitlan
NK&D / a movement company
San Simon Sucre New York
Saylit Dance Collective
Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre
Silvana Brizuela Weigel
The Kingdom Dance Co
Umami Playground Dance Inc.
VERBAL ANIMAL
Event Schedule:
Friday June 6* 6-9pm Preseason Kickoff Party, Silent Disco at Culture Lab LIC
Saturday June 7 (raindate June 8) 3-7pm Tour Opening Performances and Classes, 34th Ave (93rd-94th, 89-90th) and Travers Park, Jackson Heights
Saturday June 14 5pm Performance Evergreen Park Ridgewood
Sunday June 22 12:30-3:30pm Class Xchange 1 at Modega Dance Studio, LIC
Saturday June 28 1:30pm Plaza Party, Family Day at PS1 MoMA, LIC
Sunday June 29 5pm Performance Beach 94th, Rockaway
Saturday July 5 6pm Performance Beach 17th, Far Rockaway
Sunday July 6 4-6pm Plaza Party Murray Playground, LIC
Saturday July 12 6pm Performance Windmuller Park, Woodside
Sunday July 13 12:30-3:30pm Class Xchange 2 at Modega
Sunday July 13 2pm Plaza Party, 71st Ave Plaza, Ridgewood
Saturday July 19 5pm Performance Roy Wilkins Park, St. Albans
Sunday July 20 3pm Performance Bayside Historical Society Castle at Fort Totten (indoors), Bayside
Saturday July 26 6pm Performance Gantry Plaza State Park, LIC
Saturday August 2 3-6pm Class Xchange 3 at Modega
Friday August 8 6pm Plaza Party Lowery Plaza, Sunnyside
Saturday August 9 5pm classes + show Socrates Sculpture Park LIC
Sunday August 10 6pm Performance Unisphere, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Thursday August 7 7pm Performance + Live Music Forest Park Bandshell, Woodhaven
Saturday August 16 6:30pm Performance Hunter’s Point South Park
Sunday August 17 4pm Performance + Live Music Corona Plaza, Corona
Tuesday August 19 6pm Performance Athens Square, Astoria
Saturday August 23 5pm Performance Queensbridge Park with Jacob Riis Settlement, LIC
Sunday August 24 6pm Performance Diversity Plaza, Jackson Heights
Tues Sept 9 6-9pm* Dancing with the Queens Stars Gala at Queens Theatre
Saturday Sept 13 1-9pm* Season Grand Finale at Queens Theatre (extended special lineup of events and activities)
*ticketed events
Event lineups and details will roll out starting May 8 on www.queensborodancefestival.org.
Founded in 2014, the mission of the Queensboro Dance Festival (QDF) is to strengthen the dance community in Queens and inspire a greater appreciation of Queens dance. The award-winning festival brings programming to outdoor public parks, plazas, and streets, featuring diverse Queens-based dance companies. QDF is a platform for underrepresented dance cultures. QDF strives to serve Queen neighborhood communities lacking arts access, and also to provide professional development services for Queens dancers. The 2025 season is made possible in part by: NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, City Parks Foundation and Partnerships for Parks through the NYC Green Fund, Borough President Donovan Richards, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Mathis Pfhol Foundation, WQXR, SPEAR Physical Therapy, and Dance Doctor Network. Lead sponsorship support by Northwell Health, with additional support by Koeppel Auto Group Koeppel Kares, Ridgewood Bank, and Resorts World Gives.
