Lounge FFD

Check out our new location! This year, Lounge FFD will be located in City Center’s beautifully restored Grand Tier Lobby. A vibrant gathering place for Festival attendees and artists, Lounge FFD offers a place to relax and mingle, share a cocktail and have a snack before and after the show. This year, be sure to check out the Fall for Dance Virtual PlaySpace. Stay tuned for details!

Lounge hours: 8pm perfs. 6:30pm-11:00pm • 7pm perf. 5:30pm-10pm
* Lounge is not open prior to curtain on 9/27

Fall for Dance Hashtag

FOOD & DRINKS
Food and drinks provided by Restaurant Associates. Cash only.

DANCE LESSONS

Take a FREE, pre-show dance lesson in the Lounge! Lessons are 1 hour and open to all ages and skill levels.

6:30pm Wed, Oct 3 - Russian Folk
6:30pm Thu, Oct 4 - Bollywood
6:30pm Sat, Oct 6 - Hula
6:30pm Thu, Oct 11 - Flamenco

DANCE LESSON INSTRUCTORS

JoDe Romano “La Chispa”
For over twenty years, JoDe Romano has lived, studied, and performed Spanish dance in Spain and Japan. As a dynamic soloist and innovative choreographer for the Jose Greco Dance Company, Ms. Romano is known internationally as “La Chispa” (The Spark) and has performed in international tours and three seasons at the Joyce Theater. She has danced in the Franco Zeffierilli original production of Carmen at New York’s Metropolitan Opera before Hillary and then president Clinton staring Placido Domingo and toured Japan with the production that was aired on PBS Live at Lincoln Center. She was also soloist in the Houston Grand Operas Carmen. Ms.Romano has taught Flamenco in New York City many years at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center, Steps, Hunter Collage, and the Dr. Oz show, and taught & partnered the development of a DEL wk shop at the 92Y. She has two instructional DVD’s on her Castanet and Movement Technique. Ms. Romano has also produced and plays castanets on her Spanish Classical Piano and Castanet CD. Visit JoDe's website.

Amira Mor
Amira Mor is an internationally renowned Belly Dancer, Certified Fitness Instructor. Has received world-wide acclaim as a performer choreographer producer director. she Choreographed the dancers of the NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center and featured on numerous national TV "Emeril Live" "Blind Date" "Faking It" "The Fox Morning Show" She has myriad of students like Britney Spears at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Appeared in numerous music videos -John Mellencamp's "Another Sunny Day" & the Spin Doctors' "Cleopatra's Cat," appeared in many films - "The Manchurian Candidate" directed by Jonathan Demme, “Morning Glory“ directed by Roger Michell, starring Diane Keaton & Harrison Ford & “Sex and The City 2”. Performed around the world with legends, Ornette Coleman, Sting, Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, comedian Jackie Mason,& Jane Fonda, Prime Minister of Jordan, Dr. Abdel Salam Majali, Prince & Princess of Morocco, UN, & NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Performed & produced fundraising for -Leukemia Society, Eve Ensler's V-Day, Meals on Wheels, Humane Society USA, Henry Street Settlement House Foundation, Tourette Syndrome Association, rohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, Susan G Komen for the Cure & the Alzheimer’s Association. Publications-NY Post, NY Times, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher, Marie Claire, Vogue, W & Elle & more. Amira Mor performed for the troops in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. & Produced state-of-the-art of Belly Dance DVDs series. Visit Amira's website.

Edouard Kouchnarev
Eduard Kouchnarev began his dance career at 10 years old, upon acceptance to the Kiev Institute of Choreography. His dancing career on the stage began soon after that under the watchful eye of Irina Yakimova, who singled out the young Mr. Kouchnarev for the solo role in the ballet Malchish Kebalchish, where he played the lead role of a young boy. After studying under ballet giants such as Vladimir Denesenko, Vladimir Stefan, Valery Kovtoon, Irina Bulatova and others, Mr. Kouchnarev joined the Vroncku Collective at the age of 18. Gaining his first taste of the stage, Mr. Kouchnarev discovered his passion for acting, particularly dancing roles which required a challenging delivery of emotion. After serving in the army, Mr. Kouchnarev continued his dance career as a soloist with the Ukrainian State Theatre of Classical Ballet, where he danced as a soloist in Firebird, Swan Lake, Giselle, Carmen, Petrushka, The Flame of Paris, Nights by the Little Village of Dekanka and Coppelia. Seeking further exposure to other dance forms, Mr. Kouchnarev left Ukraine to study folk, modern and jazz in Spain, where he also danced as a soloist at Ballet Suidad of Barcelona. After some time, Mr. Kouchnarev decided to return to Ukraine and join the Kiev Jewish Theater. It was during a company tour to the United States that Mr. Kouchnarev made the choice to stay in New York City to pursue his dance career on another soil.

Luana Haraguchi
Luana Haraguchi was born on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua`i. Though her family moved to New York when she was just ten years old, she continued to return to Kaua`i to further her studies with hula. She learned hula at a young age, learning in New York and in Kauai. When in Oahu, she would study under the late Iolane Luahine. Though polynesian dance was her forte, she additionally channeled her talents through singing and acting careers in New York. Today, Haraguchi owns her professional Polynesian Dance company, Hawaiian Artists Shows alongside running the halau. She often says, "I run my dance company to pay the bills, I run the halau out of love for hula." Haraguchi has three daughters, four grandchildren and lives in Orangeburg, New York with her husband Frank. Visit Luana's website.