City Parks Foundation proudly announces the 2013 season of SummerStage presented by AT&T, New York’s largest free performing arts festival, bringing over 100 free performances to seventeen parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin and World music to dance, comedy and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception twenty-eight years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage. The festival runs from June 4th until August 29th.

“AT&T* is proud to be the first city-wide sponsor of SummerStage, a quintessential New York City event,” said Tom DeVito, AT&T’s vice president and general manager for New York and New Jersey. “We plan to be on-site at performances in Central Park and every borough to provide New Yorkers with a more interactive experience than ever before including the opportunity to check out the latest technologies on the market and access to charging stations for concert-goers. ”

On August 10, 1973, Clive Campbell – aka DJ Kool Herc – and his sister, Cindy, began hosting parties in the recreation room of their building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx, now recognized by the NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as the “Birthplace of Hip-Hop.” Taking their cue from the extended percussive breaks of Jamaican Dub music, Kool Herc and his peers began using two turntables to lengthen the briefer breaks of hit Soul, Funk and Disco tracks, and in the process laid the very bedrock of the Hip-Hop movement.

Forty years later, SummerStage celebrates and reflects upon the four elements of Hip-Hop culture – from its humble and distinctly New York roots to its very current global incarnations – in a multidisciplinary series “This is ___ Hip-Hop.”

Hip-Hop means many things to people, with that in mind this special series plays homage to the many types of Hip-Hop that have been born out of the original. “This is ____ Hip-Hop” celebrates the diversity of the genre and those artists who have pushed the boundaries of creativity.

Highlights of the season include a concert curated by the “Father of Hip-Hop” DJ Kool Herc, dance performances by The Rock Steady Crew, a new Hip-Hop based musical theater commission, “King Kong”; and the play “Sweet Billy & The Zooloos,” created especially for youths and their families, plus additional MCs and DJs who will “move the crowd” throughout NYC.
Stay tuned as we announce more details on additional dance classes, graffiti events, film screenings and panel discussions with our partners from THE POINT CDC and 5POINTZ.
Musical highlights this summer include expanded Latin Alternative Music Conference programming with two new concerts in the Bronx, legendary English Rock band The Zombies, American indie rockers The Airborne Toxic Event featuring The Calder Quartet with Orchestra, garage-pop newcomer Mac DeMarco, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Jazz legend Jimmy Heath with his premiere of his new work “Bird is the Word” at the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival.

Spoken Word and Comedy highlights include an additional comedy show with longtime partner Comedy Central and the launch of “Forewords,” a panel discussion series co-curated with The Strand Bookstore.
Dance enthusiasts will welcome The Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the most celebrated modern dance companies in America, who will perform under the stars on two not to be missed evenings. In addition, fans of Hip-Hop dance will rejoice to see the Rock Steady Crew, ambassadors of Hip-Hop dance culture perform two shows, showcasing their world premiere work “RSC Ghetto Made” as they bring it back to basics and display why they are the kings of B-Boy dance crews.

Theater-goers will welcome the world premiere of “King Kong” from acclaimed impresario of non-traditional theater Randy Weiner and director Alfred Preisser. This Hip-Hop themed theater remake of the classic tale is a theater interpretation filled with jokes, dance and wrestling and is made to be enjoyed by all people. SummerStage Theater presented by Time Warner also welcomes back writer Mando Alvarado and his original love story, “Diablo Love,” a fantastical love story featuring live music that re-imagines songs made famous by American Blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, Howlin’ Wolf along with original compositions by Tomás Doncker.

“Audiences have come to expect the highest-quality, arts programming from SummerStage and we intend to continue that tradition. With the introduction of the new “Forewords” discussion panels and the “This is __ Hip-Hop” series, we hope to present programming that is not only entertaining but further pushes the bounds of what the festival offers and celebrates the spirit and history of all performing arts genres.” says City Parks Foundation President, Alison Tocci.

The complete SummerStage schedule follows. For the most up-to-date scheduling and line-up for all SummerStage programming, follow SummerStage online at www.CityParksFoundation.org for festival information.