Why we exist
About Baila New York
New York has world-class congresses. What it didn't have was a festival built the way the culture is built — music first, elders honoured, styles side by side the way they live in the islands and the diaspora. Baila New York is NYC's first dance festival rooted in tradition, and that's not a tagline; it's the booking policy.
What that means in practice
It means a palos night sits next to a bachata battle on the same schedule. It means folkloric ensembles get the same stage as touring stars. It means rumba happens in a circle, casino happens in a rueda, and a flashmob in Hudson Yards invites the whole city in. Over five days you'll find 80+ hours of workshops in thirteen styles — Salsa, Casino, Son, Cha-Cha-Cha, Reparto, Rumba, Afro-Cuban, Haitian Folklore, Bomba, Bachata, Konpa, Kizomba and Semba — taught by artists who carry these traditions in their bodies.
The people behind it
The venues
Get in touch
One inbox, real humans: jukanbaila@gmail.com. Day to day we live on Instagram at @bailanydancefest_ and on Facebook.