Credit: Shervin LainezWe’re not sure if it’ll be a “once in a lifetime” event, but former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has helped conceive and organize a unique socially distanced multimedia dance party that will take place next month in New York City at Park Avenue Armory’s 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall.
The event, dubbed “SOCIAL!: The Social Distance Dance Club,” will premiere April 9 and will run through April 22. It’s described as “an interactive and experiential movement piece” that was commissioned by the Armory as part of its “Social Distance Hall” series of dance, music and theater performances created by artists in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
People taking part in the event will have their own spotlit area, spaced at least six feet apart from other participants, where they can dance either free form or utilizing choreographed moves while listening to an instructional voice-over recorded by Byrne.
The musical playlist at the event was curated by Byrne and his two collaborators — renowned theatrical set designer Christine Jones and choreographer Steven Hoggett. The music will be mixed by New York City DJ Natasha Diggs.
Tickets for SOCIAL! can be purchased at ArmoryonPark.org, and are priced at $45, not including fees. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. ET on weeknights and at 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET on Saturdays and Sundays.
A variety of health and safety protocols will be implemented to make the event as safe as possible.
Check out a short teaser video featuring a kilt-clad Byrne showing off some choreographed dance moves at Park Avenue Armory’s YouTube channel.
By Matt Friedlander
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