"I remember when I danced at Art on the Beach in the end of the 1970s. There were empty landfills; it was like landing on Mars." (Yoshiko Chuma) RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL LAUNCH!!! SITES UNSEEN YOSHIKO CHUMA AND THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS PERFORM A NEW WORK: 7 X 7 X 7 X 7 X 7 WITH 7 DANCERS, 7 TROMBONES, AND 7 FOOT CUBES! BE THERE!!

DATES: Thursday, June 2nd, AND Friday, June 3rd LOCATION & TIME: The SITES UNSEEN program starts at 7:30 PM @ Rockefeller Park (just west of Chambers & West Sts). YOSHIKO CHUMA AND THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS will be performing @ 8:20 PM BOTH NIGHTS near the Harbor front of Winter Garden of the World Financial Center, at the end of Liberty Street (directly outside the World Financial Center, about 100 feet south, along the river). PRICE: Free 7 X 7 X 7 X 7 X 7 PERFORMANCE DETAILS: Conceived and directed by Yoshiko Chuma Created in collaboration with the choreographers Performed by Yoshiko Chuma, Donald Fleming, Irving Gregory, Sally Gross, Motoko Ikeda, Anthony Phillips, Sarah Skaggs Music composed by Christopher McIntyre 7 x 7 Trombone Band: Joe Fiedler, Jacob Garchik, Richard Marriot,Chris McIntyre, Josh Roseman. Steve Swell, Peter Zummo Cube Design: Ralph Lee Lighting Consultant: Pat Dignan Costume Consultant: Gabriel Berry Company Manager: Bonnie Stein Stage Manager: Kryssy Wright Schedule Coordinator: Isabella Bruno SITES UNSEEN DETAILS: Launching the River to River Festival this year is a three-day celebration named Sites Unseen - a series that comprises three premieres from world-renowned dance and music luminaries. The extended launch was specially curated for River to River with new works commissioned to highlight the unique character of the Festival and Lower Manhattan. The River to River Festival launch will feature Sites Unseen: Art on the Beach Revisited on Thursday, June 2nd and Friday the 3rd at 7:30 pm. Art on the Beach, a landmark series conceived and presented by Creative Time from 1978 to 1988, was a historic cultural program that brought New Yorkers to the waterfront in Lower Manhattan when Battery Park City was still just landfill. Battery Park City's esplanade comes alive in this homage to Art on the Beach, where five artists who performed in the original series - including choreographers Yoshiko Chuma, Marta Renzi and Jane Comfort and composers David Van Tieghem and Butch Morris - will perform new works at artist-designed sites along Battery Park City's riverside parks. Starting at Rockefeller Park, the audience will take a 90-minute journey from one site-specific performance to the next, moving north to south at sunset. Sites Unseen is curated by Elise Bernhardt, best known for her work with City Center's Fall for Dance, as Executive Director of The Kitchen from 1998-2004 and the founder of Dancing in the Streets. MORE INFO: www.RivertoRiverNYC.com or telephone 212-835-2789 The School of Hard Knocks dancers perform in Beacon, NY (2004) Presented by the River to River Festival, produced in association with The Alliance for Downtown NY, Battery Park City Authority, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, South Street Seaport, World Financial Center Arts + Events