By David Rogers. NEW YORK CITY — it was one of those picture-perfect, “Chamber of Commerce” sort of days, weather-wise, but hearing a cacophony of urban sounds — blaring sirens from fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, as well as honking taxis, delivery vans backing up to a rhythmic beep-beep-beep, garbage trucks running over manhole covers — and people, people, people everywhere, it is a good bet you are in New York City’s Times Square, perhaps to see one of those Broadway shows for which New York is legendary.
We were in Times Square to see a show on April 18, but it wasn’t for the typical Broadway production. No, this visual and musical theatre was Project Dance New York, an open-air, free dance concert featuring as many as 300 mostly young women, with a sprinkling of men, representing almost three dozen teams from all around the U.S.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors to Times Square streamed by, most stopping to watch, listen and capture images of the young performers. Sightseers tapped their toes or swayed with the music, all the while marveling at the graceful, athletic movements of the dancers. All seemed to have fun, including enthusiastic whoops, hoots and hollers of encouragement after witnessing “wow” moments. And, of course, there was rampant, well-deserved applause after each performance.
Project Dance started with a noble, local purpose: to help NYC “heal” after the trauma of 9/11. Now a High Country resident but formerly a member of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes, Cheryl Cutlip helped establish the Project Dance Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and education organization “… dedicated to nurturing dancers and promoting cultural impact through artistic integrity.”
Formally established in 2003 with a more local purpose, but rooted in a mission to inspire people through training, education and performance, Project Dance’ scope has widened, now serving dancers worldwide seeking to use their craft to bring hope and healing to their communities.
Cutlip remains the Project Dance Foundation’s executive director, overseeing three program areas, according to the organization’s website:
- The Carolina Snowbelles, a full-scholarship precision dance troupe for girls ages 9 and up, based in Boone, N.C. and offering rigorous weekly training and community-based performances. The program includes an audition-based summer intensive, Kick It Up, that prepares new members for company participation.
- Camp of the Arts: A 7-week multidisciplinary summer camp for K-12 students in Boone, offering professional instruction in dance, theatre, music and visual arts.
- And Project Dance events, such as the one in New York City’s Times Square. These have grown to be a global initiative, hosting 3-day weekends in cities worldwide with master classes, open-air concerts, and community engagement. Since its founding in 2003, Project Dance has reached 35 cities across six continents.
New York was the beginning, but Project Dance 3-day events have been to several cities and countries, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Jackson (MS), Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg, Washington, D.C., Greenville (S.C.), Atlanta, Panama City Beach (Fla.), Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Kona (Hawaii) in the U.S. Internationally, the education and performance events have been in Calgary, Toronto, San Juan (Puerto Rico), San Jose (Costa Rica), London, Paris, Lima (Peru), Jerusalem, Madagascar, Singapore, Penang (Malaysia), Manila, Hong Kong, Taipei (Taiwan), Sydney and Brisbane (Australia).
In 2026 alone, in addition to New York City, Project Dance is hosting 3-day events in Houston, Costa Rica, Paris, Buenos Aires, Panama City Beach, Jackson (Miss.) and Atlanta.
Already planned for 2027 and beyond are stops in Kona (Hawaii), Tokyo, Mauritius Island, and Los Angeles (planned around the L.A.-hosted 2028 Summer Olympics).
Although New York’s itinerary also included rehearsals and reviews of the various dance teams, a worship concert, and master dance classes, a focal points was a crisply-produced, open-air dance concert in Times Square, a popup stage in Father Duffy Square at Broadway and 47th Street. One troupe followed another without a break except for a brief “interlude” when all available dancers performed the event’s theme song, en masse, on and in front of the stage. Since almost all of the dancers did multiple routines to different musical numbers throughout the day, changing rooms for the colorful costumes were arranged in nearby hotel spaces.
Here’s a comprehensive sampling of images from the live dance concert, the styles including jazz, tap, ballet, modern, hip hop, and breakdancing, to name a few. Many of the performances had moving religious themes.
All photographic images captured by David Rogers for Blowing Rock News:
CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR “SLIDE SHOW” MODE
