Dancers from across New York City gathered at Salvatore LaRussa Dance Theatre’s outdoor stage on Sunday, June 1, to perform in the 2025 Queens Outdoor Dance Festival, a free community event celebrating movement, culture, and artistic expression.
Hosted at LaRussa Studio at 66-85 73rd Pl. in Middle Village, the event featured 10 choreographers and companies presenting original work before a local audience as part of the studio’s free Sunday performing arts series.
The program opened with Swan Goose, a solo work choreographed and performed by Cindy Li, and continued with an excerpt of the art of carrying by Wildflower Collective, choreographed by Dale Ratcliff and Nikki Theroux.
Jill Moshman, whose duet I hope you like it here was performed by dancers Julia Larcenaire and Erica Moshman, said the piece explored “intimacy and growing closer and moving apart,” noting that this was her first time at the outdoor festival. “We previously showed work from a different piece here several years ago, and we’re happy to be back,” she said.
Other featured artists included Dalit Ahava and dancers, SOCO Dance Company, and Cara Marguerite, who premiered her piece I hope you with dancers Danielle Goodman and Natalia Fernandez.
Returning for their fifth time at the Queens Outdoor Dance Festival was Chutzpah Dance, performing PLAYGROUND, choreographed by Erica Isakower. “It’s such a great community-building experience,” said Isakower. “You get to see a vast variety of different works of art in the dance format… and meet each other from all different boroughs.”
Additional performances included Below the Bottom by Susie McHugh + Dancers, Gesellige Olifante by Prints Dance Company, and Hanger by Taylor Gordon, set to “Mambo Italiano” sung by Nick DiSandro.
The event was made possible with the support of Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., Council Member Robert F. Holden, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, the New York State Council on the Arts, Flushing Town Hall’s 2025 Queens Community Grant, the Howard Gilman Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, and the Department of Cultural Affairs’ 2025 Queens Arts Fund.
