#Newsflash | Queensboro Dance Festival’s Three-Day Finale Starts on Sept. 15

After presenting several dozen shows around the borough, Queensboro Dance Festival’s 2023 season is winding down, but it won’t end without a blowout dance-a-thon.

Queens Theatre will host QDF’s Special Finale Weekend from Friday, Sept. 15, until Sunday, Sept. 17.

The festival, which is also a tenth anniversary celebration, will present 25 dance companies that participated in QDF 2023. The troupes – representing such styles as Ballet, Bellydance, Bharatanatyam, Bolivian Caporales, Contemporary, Flamenco, Hip-Hop, House, Japanese Yosakoi, NY Salsa, and Tap — will introduce new music, special guests, and choreography adapted for the lighting and theatricality at Queens Theatre.

Tickets cost $27 with a three-night package for $66. Seniors and students qualify for 10 percent discounts.

Each show runs about 70 minutes with no intermission and ASL and Open Captioning are available. The schedule follows.

Sept. 15, 7:30 pm

Mala’s Odissi (Forest Hills)
sarAika movement collective (Ridgewood)
Ayazamana Dance Group (LIC)
Barbara Mahler (Jackson Heights)
Cole Collective (Astoria)
Gotham Dance Theater (Woodside)
San Simon Sucre NY (Maspeth)
Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre (LIC)
Theo Yang Qu (Elmhurst)

Sept. 16, 7:30 pm

Yosakoi Dance Project – 10tecomai (Bayside)
Cucala Dance Company (Jamaica)
Manhatitlán (LIC)
#Taplife Company (Howard Beach)
Neela Dance Academy (Jackson Heights)
Drye/Marinaro Dance Company (Forest Hills)
Dahyun Kim (LIC)
Noora Dance Theater (Astoria)
Robert Mark Dance (Astoria)

Sept. 17, 5 pm

CarNYval Dancers (Jamaica)
Chieh & Yoyo (Elmhurst)
The Kingdom Dance Company (Rosedale)
Umami Playground Dance Company (LIC)
Flamenco Latino (Jackson Heights)
Jiva Dance (LIC)
Kinding Sindaw Heritage Foundation (Jackson Heights)

To get attendees in the proper mood, a popup gallery with QDF posters signed by more than 100 borough-based dance companies will be on display.

Bonus Show

QDF’s annual Dancing with the Queens Stars will take place during a pre-show gala dinner in Queens Theatre’s lobby on Sept. 16 at 5 pm.

Dancing with the Queens Stars is friendly competition during which three community leaders team up with three QDF choreographers to perform in front of local judges.

This year’s squads will be Sam Chillemi-Berenz (Yelp Queens) with Marc Nuñez (Gotham Dance Theater) doing Street Jazz; Alfonso Quiroz (ConEd) with Kiara Paige (carNYval dancers) doing Soca/Afro Beats, and Umar Mahmood (Koeppel Mazda) with Queen TuT (The Kingdom Dance Company) busting some Hip-Hop. The judges are Deputy Borough President Ebony Young, Jamaica Performing Arts Center Executive Director Leonard Jacobs, and Flushing Town Hall Director of Artist Services Dan Bamba.

Attendance is $100. It’s a fund-raiser.

Images: QDF