July 3, 2018: â€˜Garba in the Parkâ€™ features dance lesson and live musical performances

Tickets available at MidsummerNightSwing.com

Colorful chaniya cholis and the beats of the dhol will be seen and heard in New York City on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at Garba in the Park, part of Lincoln Centerâ€™s Midsummer Night Swing dance series at Damrosch Park.

This marks the first time the music and dance of Gujarat will be featured at this iconic NYC summer dance party. The annual Midsummer Night Swing series brings people from all walks of life together to experience an array of sounds and dance styles â€“ including salsa, lindy hop, and even bhangra â€“ through outdoor dance lessons and live musical performances.

Garba in the Park is part of Garba360 - a new initiative by South Asian arts and entertainment company MELA Arts Connect to bring the energetic and immersive Indian dance experience, well-known to Gujaratis and other Indians, to new spaces and audiences. The evening begins with garba and raas lessons by Rohan Sheth and Heena Patel, followed by a stage performance of traditional garba by the Sa Dance Company, and continues with live music from Conneticut-based garba group Kashyap Jani & Friends and DJ Sunny. The eveningâ€™s dance styles will feature taali garba, tran taali garba, raas, heech,sanedo, and more.

â€œI canâ€™t think of a better place for the first Garba360 event in New York City than Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center,â€ says Heena Patel, the creator of Garba360 and founder of MELA Arts Connect. â€œThe series is about social dance - people dancing together, regardless of their background or experience, and that is what the garba and raas experience is as well.â€

With Garba in the Park, there is no need to wait until the Navaratri in the fall to do raas-garba. All are welcome to dance under the stars to live music from 6:30 p.m.â€“10 p.m. on a beautiful summer night. Advance tickets to Garba in the Park are priced at $17, available at MidsummerNightSwing.org.

Garba Comes To Lincoln Centerâ€™s Midsummer Night Swing