Recently, the Museum of the City of New York launched a new exhibit entitled Urban Stomp: Dreams and Defiance on the Dance Floor. The interactive exhibition guides visitors through the history of dance centering around New York City. Dance has emerged as a form of resistance as well as a connection between people and cultures, and this exhibit provides incredible insight into these themes.

The exhibit is divided into sections, each explaining the history of different dances throughout time and the various impacts of them. Some special features include articles of clothing, instruments, records, and many more valuable items. There are also opportunities throughout to learn and try some of the dances. Ranging from the hustle and salsa to voguing and breaking, the exhibit provides information on just about any dance you can think of. Visitors are given the opportunity to travel through time in NYC, and experience the progression of dance as an art form, redefining standard traditions and connecting cultures and communities.

Articles of clothing featured at the Urban Stomp exhibit. Photos courtesy MCNY

My favorite part of the exhibit is the last section, the “All Dancing Allowed!” dance floor, which is an interactive open space with a station to select a genre and dance. This part allows for connection and community building with others, as well as experimenting with various styles of dance. While it can seem intimidating at first, this exhibition encourages movement amongst others and embracing the shared space, which was once prohibited in the city due to New York City’s 1926 Cabaret Law. Urban Stomp: Dreams and Defiance on the Dance Floor celebrates our freedom of movement and dance while educating visitors on dance in a historical aspect and it is definitely worth visiting.

“All Dancing Allowed” portion of the exhibition.

For more information, visit mcny.org/exhibition/urban stomp.