I Heart Dance on the Empire Rooftop: Can I Still Go on Pointe?

08/27/21 • 19 min

As the summer ramped up, Tania headed out to the Empire Rooftop to speak with Dawn Durham, VP and Director of Operations at Hospitality Holdings, Inc. Like so many venues, the Empire Rooftop struggled throughout 2020. But when Dawn received a call from Melissa Gerstein and Kimberly Giannelli, Co-Founders of iHeartDance NYC, about organizing a dance performance on the rooftop, Dawn couldn’t resist. Suddenly dancers like Ingrid Silva and Gilbert Bolden were performing for the first time in well over a year.

Featured venue and performers in this episode:

Ingrid Silva (@ingridsilva)
Gilbert Bolden III (@dancerdude56)
Eli Raphael Gruska (@eli.raphael)
Olivia MacKinnon (@oliviamackinnon)
James Kinney - Choreographer (@jkinneydance)
Luciana Paris (@luciana_paris_official)
Melissa Musen Gerstein - Producer (@melissagerstein)
Kimberly Giannelli - Producer (@soulforhire)
The Empire Rooftop (https://www.theempirerooftop.com/ (@theempirerooftop)
I Heart Dance NYC (https://www.iheartdancenyc.com/) (@iheartdancenyc)

Resources/more Info:

Produced by Tania Mohammad. Additional production by Charlotte Moore-Lambert. Executive produced by David Hoffman. Post-production, original music, and sound design by Garrett Tiedemann. Production managed by Gabriela Montequin

Check out the

Featured venue and performers in this episode:

Ingrid Silva (@ingridsilva)
Gilbert Bolden III (@dancerdude56)
Eli Raphael Gruska (@eli.raphael)
Olivia MacKinnon (@oliviamackinnon)
James Kinney - Choreographer (@jkinneydance)
Luciana Paris (@luciana_paris_official)
Melissa Musen Gerstein - Producer (@melissagerstein)
Kimberly Giannelli - Producer (@soulforhire)
The Empire Rooftop (https://www.theempirerooftop.com/ (@theempirerooftop)
I Heart Dance NYC (https://www.iheartdancenyc.com/) (@iheartdancenyc)

Resources/more Info:

Check out the

Previous Episode

3 Dollar Bill: COVID-Conscious Queens

In early May, Tania ventured out to 3 Dollar Bill, an energetic gay bar in Brooklyn that was one of the first places in the city to bring back live drag performances. Owner Brenda Breathnach was working tirelessly to maintain the bar’s atmosphere and serve patrons while still adhering to the strict restrictions that were in place at the time, while the performers struggled to rethink their acts for a masked and seated audience.

Featured venue & performers this episode:

3 Dollar Bill - https://www.3dollarbillbk.com/ - @3dollarbillbk
Rify Royalty - @rify_royalty
Charlene Incarnate - @charleneincarnate
Trish-Weekly Tuesday Night Show - @trish.bk

Resources/more Info:

Produced by Tania Mohammad. Executive produced by David Hoffman. Post-production, original music, and sound design by Garrett Tiedemann. Production managed by Gabriela Montequin.

Check out Series Webpage

Next Episode

Comedy Cabaret at Don’t Tell Mama: Everything Was Guerrilla

Stand-up comedian Joe Orecchio faced a choice at the start of the pandemic. Would he grieve the state of his show, Comedy Cabaret, and it’s unknown future? Or would he use this opportunity to make the show everything it could be? Lucky for his audience, he chose the latter. Tanya Moberly, the Booking Manager at Don’t Tell Mama, a world famous venue in the heart of New York City, was eager to welcome him back to showcase his new vision. Join Tania Mohammad as she visits another small but mighty performance space striving to survive in the shadow of the pandemic along with the brilliant artists who make venues like Don’t Tell Mama great.

Featured in this Episode: