Get a move on: There are free dance lessons on the Esplanade on Mondays
Get out your dancing shoes, because Boston Dance Alliance is offering the opportunity to try out some new moves in free classes this month. For the next three Monday nights, from 6-7:30 p.m., the action happens at the Charles River Esplanade’s Hatch Grove at the foot of the Fiedler Footbridge.
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It’s called International Moves and Food, and each week features professional teaching artists introducing participants of all ages to a different style of dance. Presented in partnership with the Esplanade Association, the series began in July and continues this month. On Aug. 3, the program is Haitian Folkloric with Jean Appolon and live drumming. On Aug. 10, Ms. 5678 (choreographer/street dancer Chanel Thompson) leads participants in Caribbean & Soca (“soul of calypso”). The finale on Aug. 17 is a Bachata & Merengue night with Anara Frank of Metamovements. Following each 60-minute class is a 30-minute social during which participants can mingle socially and sample free foods from local restaurants that celebrate the featured dance style’s community.
For the Esplanade Association, these events serve as a way to enliven the downtown riverfront as a gathering space to foster belonging and celebrate some of Boston’s rich cultural traditions, not to mention create joyful experiences that encourage people to return to and care for the park.
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“Each week it’s something different,” says Samuel Englert, the Esplanade Association’s senior manager of programs and partnerships. “It’s really exciting to see people who’d never cross paths come together to enjoy something in common.”
Registration is encouraged. Go to events.humanitix.com/international-moves-and-food-2026.
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