Join us on Saturday, May 15 (rain date of May 16), at the Garden of the Humanitarians for a free, live show for the community, open to all ages and fun for kids and adults alike!

Whoop Dee Doo artists, working in collaboration with local students and community members, founders of Garden of the Humanitarians, and the classical Indian dance company Aalokam, will stage a series of short performances (10-15 min), which change throughout the day in response to the setting of the sun. Through dance and an immersive set designed and built by the artists and local students, the performances will portray the story of a decades-long transformation of the community garden, told through the backdrop of a giant oversized sink.

This event is organized through Whoop Dee Doo’s residency in Artists Alliance’s LES Studio Program. Please note that this event will follow all New York State COVID guidelines. Masks will be required for entry and can be provided on-site if needed.

About the Collaborators

The Garden of the Humanitarians (formerly Generation X Garden) is both a beloved community garden space dedicated to the youth of the Lower East Side and a mini-urban orchard cultivating fruit trees such as nectarine, pear, peach and apple. Created in 1971, the garden has supported and hosted a variety of special programming featuring Greenmarket farmers, Youthmarket displays, Taíno arts and crafts, and healthy eating and tasting sessions.

Aalokam is a South Asian Dance and School in the New York area. The school strives to provide the South Asian diaspora in the New York tri state area continued access to their cultural roots and to introduce South Asian performing arts to the western world. Aalokam is directed by Bharathi Penneswaran and Jyotsna Kalyansundar. The idea behind Aalokam is to showcase the elegance and beauty of this classical Indian dance form through innovative set pieces. Combining rhythm, hand gestures and facial expressions, these dance pieces convey exotic tales from Indian mythology and folklore. (www.aalokam.com)

Whoop Dee Doo (est. 2006) is an artist-led project that creates installations and live performances through museums, galleries, arts organizations, festivals and universities. Each project engages the immediate communities of the organization with which we partner, and we work closely with young people and non-profit groups to research, conceive, and create our programming. Our process emphasizes collaboration, encourages respect for diversity, and seeks to initiate a cross-generational and cross-cultural dialogue. (www.whoopdeedoo.org)

Artists Alliance Inc is dedicated to launching, strengthening, and advancing the vision of emerging and underrepresented artists and curators through fully-funded residencies, paid exhibition opportunities, and commissioned projects. Founded by local artists in 1999 and rooted in the Lower East Side (a long-standing epicenter of creative experimentation and cultural diversity), AAI cultivates art practices that challenge the way we experience ourselves, our communities, and our world. (www.artistsallianceinc.org)