7th Annual Cultural Diversity Festival in Jersey City 2021

JCFamilies is excited to announce the 7th Annual Cultural Diversity Festival in Jersey City.

This year our 7th Annual Cultural Diversity Festival will be together with our Harvest Festival. It will be a day of celebrating the fall season and diversity in our city.  There will be an array of fun activities planned for the whole family, including pumpkin painting, arts & crafts, musical acts, dancers, and — of course — delicious food!

In this spirit, we invite you to join us for the 7th Annual Cultural Diversity Festival on October 2 at Hamilton Park from 10 am to 2 pm.

This unique and memorable event is an excellent opportunity for children and families to experience the vibrant and diverse cultures of Jersey City!  We hope to see you there!

Performances in Cultural Diversity Festival:

PERFORMING ARTS WORKSHOP

SHEHNAAZ DANCE ACADEMY

Shehnaaz Dance Academy is a Jersey City-based Performing Arts & Cultural School, Shehnaaz Dance Academy (SDA) was born out of our love for teaching and a passion for dance. Founded in 2012, SDA is a Jersey, City-based dance school that offers a variety of Indian & fusion dance classes, Indian Classical music instruction as well as Cultural Exploration classes. Our mission is to instill a love of dance, inspire self-confidence, discipline, harmony, and respect for the arts and all cultures.

We create a nurturing and accepting environment to allow students to blossom and discover their passion for the arts. Our dance class offerings include and are not limited to Indian Semi Classical Dance, Indian Folk Dance, Bollywood, Hip Hop (fusion of Bollywood and Hip Hop), Jazz, Lyrical, & Contemporary Dance. We are a part of various local school after-school programs and host private in-person and virtual classes in Jersey City. SDA also customizes programming for private and corporate events.

JERSEY CITY DANCE ACADEMY

Their mission is to nurture both the potential artist and the recreational dancer who studies only for the inherent rewards of self-discipline, confidence, physical fitness, and a greater appreciation of motion and music. Students are encouraged to discover dance and movement to understand themselves better. As students progress, they are challenged with the latest dance innovations and choreography while emphasizing technique, safe work habits, personal responsibility, and concentration at Jersey City Dance Academy.

JERSEY CITY BALLROOM

They specialize in Latin, ballroom, salsa, swing, tango, and wedding dance lessons. They also offer group classes and private lessons for all ages, children to adults. Their mission is to encourage and support their students at every phase of their dance development.

CADENCIA DANCERS

Founded in 2009, the Cadencia Dancers (formerly Caña y Cadencia Flamenco) is a flamenco dance and music troupe bringing the art of flamenco to audiences to New York City and the Tri-State area. Started as a Tablao at Café Andalucia in Manhattan from 2010-2014, the Cadencia Dancers today perform in various settings, including cultural festivals, cafes, art openings, and street performances.

AFRICAN FUSION DANCE

West African dance traditionally pulls movements from everyday life of chores, work, and imitating animals.  African dance uses all these types of gestures to tell a story or to celebrate life. This dance performance is a mixture of traditional West African, West Indian, and Afrobeat dance moves. It is a total body workout, the best cardio you will ever have.

NIMBUS DANCE WORKS

Nimbus focuses its work on the intersection between high-level dance and innovative ways of involving communities and audiences. Founded in 2005, Nimbus presents performances and programs to diverse audiences locally and on tour, serving present audiences and building future ones.

IMPRESS BALLROOM

Impress Ballroom would like to invite all dancers to join their in-person ballroom and Latin dance program for kids and adults in Downtown JC. If you love dancing (Salsa, Cha-cha-cha, Jive) welcome to their cozy studio. Masks, sanitizers, and lots of fun. Ventilation and air conditioning in the studio.

NEXT STEP BROADWAY

Next Step Broadway’s mission is to provide an environment where all ages and levels can experience joy through dancing, singing, acting, & much more. Instructors will introduce the knowledge of technical, musical, creative, and performance skills and will develop these skills for all levels. This developmental program builds confidence, self-esteem, and coordination to create a whole, well-rounded artist.

KIZUNA DAIKO

Traditional and contemporary Japanese Taiko(drum) music. They use two styles of drumming. Suwa style drumming and the ensemble drumming idea both come from Daihachi Oguchi, the Grand Master of their style of drumming.

AFRICAN FUSION DANCE

West African dance traditionally pulls movements from everyday life of chores, work, and imitating animals.  African dance uses all these types of gestures to tell a story or to celebrate life. This dance performance is a mixture of traditional West African, West Indian, and Afrobeat dance moves. It is a total body workout, the best cardio you will ever have.
Classes are held at various locations in JC and in The Heights. Nearby classes are held at Grassroots Community Space 54 Coles Street, Jersey City, NJ.

KERRI SMITH ACADEMY

Offering solo, team, competitive & performance Irish Dance classes in Jersey City, NJ. At KSA, they strive to improve every dancer’s ability while developing poise, confidence, perseverance, and other skills necessary to be a successful and healthy adult. We strive to educate the whole child through our dance classes, not just danceability.

NAI NI CHEN ACADEMY

Celebrating 30 years of dance making, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a rare Asian American female-led touring company that honors and advances the dynamic spirit of Chinese American cultural tradition. A cross-cultural choreographer who aims to bring the audience across cultural boundaries, Nai-Ni Chen’s unique choreographic styles reflect the grace and splendor of the Chinese cultural traditions she studied in Taiwan, and the dynamic spirit of modern and contemporary dance she acquired in New York.

PIMA ACADEMY

PIMA was founded in 1981. PIMA is home to world champions, budding martial artists, and those who want to learn self-defense. 

Tonal Art Music Center

Tonal Art Music Center’s mission is to give students the tools they need to play the music they love. Founded on the belief that musical training can have a positive impact on many different areas of life, they dedicated to providing quality, focused, results-oriented lessons to students of all ages. They believe that one of life’s greatest joys is to communicate with others through music and they strive to provide that experience to our students.

Food Vendors

Baonanas

More than just bananas, #Baonanas takes flavor inspiration from the diversity of its community, its people, and its experiences. Descendants of Filipino immigrants, born and raised in the country’s most diverse city, our founders proudly celebrate the Philippines’ rich culinary flavors. They create the most delicious banana pudding!

Torta Truck

Torta Truck is delivering all authentic Mexican eats to the streets. Whereas most focus on tacos, Torta Truck elevates the standard by focusing instead on the beauty that is the torta. Their words, not ours, but we’re apt to believe ’em, considering they’re sticking to traditional preparation methods, spices, and seasonings that make each indeed a treat to behold (and to taste.) Get a torta designed for meat lovers packed with chicken milanesa, salchica, and ham, or go for the classic al pastor with refried beans, lettuce, avocado, quesillo and pickled jalapenos.

The Cupcake Carriage

The Cupcake Carriage specializes in the creations of confections almost too exquisite to eat and is known for her incredible attention to detail. The cupcake carriage carries cupcakes and other delicious desserts.

Other businesses/Sponsors:

Toyota

Soda Stream

At SodaStream, our dream is to help people drink more water and live healthier lives, all while protecting the environment from the harmful effects of single-use plastic. As the No. 1 sparkling water brand in the world, we have a unique opportunity to make a real difference. Our vision is to eliminate single-use plastic waste by changing the way we drink, hydrate, and live life healthier, and to the fullest.

The goal of the mobile tour is to reach consumers safely and efficiently with a brand experience that demonstrates SodaStream’s belief in a more sustainable and tasty world. The tour is immersive and sensorial – through engagement with onsite mixologists curating non-alcoholic beverages, collaborating with our video concierge to produce custom social media clips, and perusing product displays.

It’s not rocket science – fresh sparkling water in seconds. Rethink the way you drink!

My Orthodontist

At My Orthodontist, you and your smile are our top priorities. They offer high-quality orthodontic services at affordable prices to every member of your family, ages seven and up. Their board-certified orthodontists have a wealth of knowledge and experience and are here to ensure your orthodontic experience is anything but ordinary.

One of the reasons we love JC is because this is a real melting pot of people from all over the world.  We live together and appreciate our differences.  Jersey City is a mix of styles, languages, ethnicities, rhythms, opinions, tastes, and cultures.  We live here because this diversity is important to us and we understand that these differences make us all better people, more compassionate, understanding, and inclusive.  We have experienced the richness of a community that is diverse.  We have seen diversity make a community stronger, more resilient, and more cohesive.  We are proud of our diversity and love celebrating it.  We wear it as a badge of honor that Jersey City was named the most diverse city in America.

SCHEDULE:

10:15 am- Kizuna Daiko

10:30 am- African Fusion Dance

10:45 am- Jersey City Ballroom

11:00 am- Kerry Smith Academy of Irish Dance

11:15 am -Impress Ballroom

11:30 am -Nimbus

11:45 am -Nimbus Youth Ensemble

12:00pm-Jersey City Dance Academy

12:15 pm- Next Step Broadway

12:30 pm- Performing Arts Workshop

12:45 pm- Shehnaaz Dance Academy

1:00 pm- Tarik Belly Dancing

1:15 pm- Candencia Dancers

1:30pm- Pima Academy

1:45pm- Nai Ni Chen

1:50 pm- Street Smart Kids