Uptown Dance Collective
Photo by Lisa Pearson
Photos by Chris Drukker
John Elhis and Sandra Rivera; Navarra Novy-Williams; Lisa Green
Alterations and Repairs, an immersive walk through Fort Tryon Park
conceived and led by Amy Kail in collaboration with
LISA GREEN, SANDRA RIVERA, NAVARRA NOVY-WILLIAMS, and MAXINE STEINMAN
poet: PAUL RABINOWITZ composers/musicians: JOHN EHLIS, JESSICA LURIE
Our next performance will be held on National Dance Day, September 20th, 2025 at Fort Tryon Park
Poet Paul Rabinowitz creates a crowd-sourced poem by giving audience members a prompt to write on a card.
Amy Kail with Jessica Lurie on Saxophone.
Jessica Lurie plays saxophone on a pathway to Dongan Lawn.
photos by Chris Drukker
Audience Member Quote
Audience Member Quote
“As a longtime resident of Washington Heights, I have spent a lot of time in Fort Tryon Park. It’s one of my favorite places to unwind but I don’t think I was really noticing much about my surroundings. After seeing Amy Kail’s Alterations and Repairs in the park on June 3, 2023, I have started to look at the park in a new way. the beautiful symbiotic relationship she created between the park’s late-spring Beauty and each dance piece drew my attention to features of the landscape – particularly trees, particular places, and the park’s slopes and curves – that I had been walking by without really seeing. The combination of music (it was wonderful!), the choreography (also wonderful!), the different emotions and resonances of the dance segments, the poetry, and the connection with the landscape made the performance an immersive experience. I was surprised to see that my twelve-year-old son (a lifelong resident of Washington Heights) was also caught up in the performance. Afterwards, we talked about parts of the performance that each of us particularly liked and the differences among the pieces, which was another good park of the experience.” – Kim Friendlander, Washington Heights Resident
Maxine Steinman
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“The dance works by the artists individually and collectively made me re-examine how people are inspired and create in response to our environment. It also allowed me to appreciate the park in a different way, seeing the textures of the rocks and trees, the curvature of the limbs, and the resonance of the spoken word, castanets, and instruments. It was all very fulfilling!
– Heather McCartney, Joyce Theater Education Director, Harlem Resident
Audience Members at Alterations and Repairs, June, 2024
Thank you to our Individual Donors!
John Bubliak, Peter Bulow, Margaret Chandler, Karen Chase, Jonathan Daniel, Mary John Frank, Aviva Geismar, Paul Thompson, Kim Hanson, Harvey and Trish Kail, Tatjana Feldt Newman, Lynn Goodman, Regina Gradess, Wendy Hirschberg, Meagan Keefe, Lisa and Matt Pearson, Anna MacKay-Brandt, Heather Masri, Yodalis Moran, Vennie Muenzon, Stephen Quentzel, Debra Savadge, Anne Stanner, Larry Williams, Hope Youngblood
To Make A Tax Deductible Contribution Go To: https://app.thefield.org/profile/Uptown-Dance-Collective/644862
Thank You To Our Partners!
Fort Tryon Trust: https://www.forttryonparktrust.org/
Chakra Kitchen/Thai Vegan Restaurant https://chakra.kitchen/
Dance Project of Washington Heights https://www.danceprojectwh.org/
Thank you to our Funders!
Harkness Foundation for Dance: https://harknessfoundation.org/
Frequently Asked Questions
When is your next show?
We are planning on doing another performance of “Alterations and Repairs” on Septermber 20th, 2025 in Fort Tryon Park. It is National Dance Day and The Fort Tryon Trust is partnering with us.
How was “Uptown Dance Collective” formed?
“Uptown Dance Collective” formed from colleagues Amy has known for many years, and a choreographers feedback group that she began in 2017 in Washington Heights named “Uptown Dance Makers”. Maxine Steinman introduced us to Paul Rabinowitz and John Ehlis.
Could you bring “Alterations and Repairs” to my community?
Yes! Please contact us at [email protected]. We will work with you to make it happen.
How do all the artists get paid for these free performances?
Amy received an Individual Artists grant from Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance for the 2023 performance. We received funding for May, 2024 through through The Harkness Foundation for Dance, individual donations, and small business support. For our September, 2024 performance on National Dance Day, The Fort Tryon Trust sponsored us with a grant from the Green Acre Foundation.
Q: How can I contribute to make the 2024 and other performances possible?
Please contact us at [email protected]. We can offer you a tax exempt letter for donating to our organization.
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