After a Winter of seemingly endless, “I can’t find my gloves” moments, we gathered at RWS Studios in Queens, NY, and danced our hearts out. We met new people, new moves, new teachers and reunited with old friends, old feelings, old moves. This 2nd edition represented renewal and rejuvenation for Momen, and we hope it meant the same for our attendees too.

Line Up.

From Heather Lang’s iconic Choreo-Exploratorium to Kenichi Kasamatsu’s circle of Joy; from Sheila Barker’s electric Jazz moves to Andrew Winghart’s rain of movement, this edition was packed with energy, complexity, and learning. We were introduced to the life and soul of Flamenco with Nélida Tirado followed by the introspective detailed motion of Jenn Freeman. We grew together. Two of our favorites, the “Friends and Family” of dance in NY, Billy Griffin and Al Blackstone provided the perfect blend of meditation, happiness, and surrender. And last but not least; the powerful and hilarious James Whiteside, who shared his experience as a dancer, drag artist, ballet principal, and author of the book “Center Center: A Funny, Sexy, Sad Almost-Memoir of a Boy in Ballet."

Music.

In this edition we had more live music than in any other Momen&Friends; meaning more than in the First Edition, lol. We think of our relationship to live music as an extension of the artistry happening on the dance floor, and we’d like to take a moment to show these artists our appreciation. Max Sangerman (guitar in hand) sang Dionne Warwick’s “I Say A little Prayer” until we all felt fully immerses in Al’s choreography. DJ Marc Cardarelli kept the vibe going with his curated playlists throughout the workshop, and Price McGuffey played the drums accompanying almost every class—until that last moment when he joined Max for a little on-the-spot arrangement. Big shout-out to Andrew Winghart who composed his own music for this event inspired by the first rain of Spring. We feel blessed, lucky, and honored to dance with these music makers, and we hope you feel the same.

You can also enjoy the music of this Edition’s weekend in our Spotify 👇