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First Saturdays Returns with a Celebration of the Caribbean Diaspora

The popular community event attracts thousands of visitors each month with a packed program of free art and entertainment. Photo credit: NYCgo.
First Saturdays, BK Reader
Photo credit: NYCgo.com

The popular community event attracts thousands of visitors each month with a packed program of free art and entertainment.

Brooklyn Museum's First Saturdays returns on August 4.
Photo credit: NYCgo.com

Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays returns on August 4, with a celebration of the arts, culture and diversity of the Caribbean diaspora. August highlights include the Brooklyn Dance Festival, the mobile art center caribBEING House and a live music performance by Alex Mali.

The event kicks off at 5:00pm with a dance and fitness workshop led by choreographer Jessica Phoenix who will give an introduction into the basics of a variety of Afro-Caribbean dance forms.

Dance Caribbean Collective
Photo credit: Brooklyn Arts Council

At 6:00pm, the Brooklyn Dance Festival will take the stage. Various ensembles, including the Dance Caribbean Collective, The Sabrosura Effect, Project of Contempo Caribe, KaNu Dance Theater, and Bloodline Dance Theatre will be showcasing diverse dance styles from across the English, Spanish and French Caribbean. Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter Alex Mali will celebrate her Jamaican and Trinidadian roots with R&B and reggae-infused pop music at 7:00pm, followed by the Brooklyn-based Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra at 8:00pm.

Throughout the evening, mobile art center caribBEING House will amplify the voices of Caribbean communities with art and activations. Beginning at 6:30pm, a Teen Pop-Up Gallery Talks will host ten-minute talks highlighting Caribbean art and stylistic influences in the museum's American Art collection. Poetry lovers can enjoy readings by Caribbean-identified poets Rico Frederick, Erica Mapp and Camille Rankine starting at 8:30pm.

Alex Mali
Alex Mali. Photo credit: Alex Mali/ Soundcloud

A community talk, beginning at 8:30pm, will explore the history of Black immigrants who came from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America to New York. Moderator Albert Saint Jean of the Black Alliance for Just Immigration will be joined by Ernest Skinner; Dr. Waldaba Stewart, Head of the Caribbean Research Center at Medgar Evers College; and Ninaj Raoul, co-founder of Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees, for an insightful conversation.

For more information and a complete schedule, go here. 

Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays

When: Saturday, August 4 | 5:00pm - 10:00pm

Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238

How much: Free! Please note, some programs have limited space and are ticketed on a first-come, first served basis.  




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