PROUD LEGACY ft. Nina Sky + more!

Join us for 's 2024 Pride Weekend with a special Sunday outdoors dance party: PROUD LEGACY - in collaboration with Vin.yl NYC!

PROUD LEGACY will be a free, family-friendly event created to honor & celebrate the lasting legacy of the LGBTQ+ community's impact on underground music & dance culture.

With special live performances and exciting DJ sets by local/global artists and changemakers, join us to dance all day from 3-9pm as we pay homage to the gay, trans, & queer trailblazers who made and continue to make dance culture and music what it is today!

Featuring Performances & DJ sets by:

Nina Sky

Brandon Markell Holmes

Niara Sterling

Omer Mil

+Hip-Hop Dance Class from 3-4pm by Yvonne of House of Chow! All levels welcome!

Food & beverage for sale including Natural Wine menu curated by Vin.yl at our bars

+ installation for your listening pleasure!

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About the Artists:

Nina Sky - The twin sister duo of Nicole and Natalie Albino have been performing their 2004 Billboard Hot 100 smash "Move Ya Body" on stages around the world for two decades now. They're on a short list of artists from their generation that lay claim to a catalog that still keeps bodies moving well into their careers while staying true to themselves. These born-and-bred New York City artists from Queens have built a respected reputation off the dancehall-flavored hit, but their evolution as independent artists, songwriters, DJs and business-women is what has solidified the pair as multidimensional talents.

Growing up as Nuyorican kids in Queens, N.Y. inspired Nina Sky to become the diverse singers and DJs they're known as today. Nicole has been DJing since she was 13, while Natalie was right beside her carrying crates of records before Serato was even on the market. This grassroots level of music consumption and creation carried into their earl( careers on the rise to their present-day endeavors. The sounds of R&B, dancehall, reggaeton, hip-hop, pop and more have permeated every corner of the music house Nina Sky has built. The same year "Move Ya Body" was climbing the charts, Nina Sky's contagious chorus propelled N.O.R.E's 2004 reggaeton hit "Oye Mi Canto" featuring Gem Star, Daddy Yankee and Big Mato to mainstream success. Their voices were also heard that same year on The Alchemist's lauded track "Hold You Down" featuring Prodigy and Illa Ghee. Timeless collaborations with Diplo and Major Lazer ("Keep It Going Louder"), Sean Paul ("Connection"), Salaam Remi (produced "Too Long to Let Go"), Pitbull ("Turning Me On" remix) and Aventura ("You're Lying"), among others, have only added to a catalog from Nina Sky that has a global impact.

Brandon Markell Holmes - Brandon Markell Holmes, a "slow-burning vocal-house juggernaut," (Rolling Stone), is a formally-trained theatre actor and self-trained vocalist. Described as an "invigorating artist’s artist," (Chicago Tribune) and a vocalist that can go "from a low simmer to a boiling passion," (Billboard) he’s also a musician working his own art into history, having appeared as a vocalist on the GRAMMY-nominated Gorillaz album ‘Humanz’, as well as being featured in Afropunk for his visual EP ‘Inertia’. Born and raised in Chicago, but now living in Brooklyn, Brandon has brought performance art to the club, becoming a go-to vocalist for the house music underground.

Niara Sterling - Originally from Virginia, Niara's roots have heavily influenced her developing sound - from an array of massive basslines, melodic patterns, and throbbing kicks summed up in a soulful pulse. In New York, she's occupied spaces like Brooklyn Mirage, Good Room, House of Yes, Jupiter Disco, Le Bain, and Public Records spinning subgenres of House and Soul music. She's been proud to have shared decks with artists she admires such as Aluna, Easy Mo Bee, Full Crate, DJ Spinna, Rich Medina and more. Her gift has granted her access to the world, performing at festivals like Tropíco in Mexico or touring with Talib Kweli around the country and Switzerland. Niara has also toured for brands like Burberry and has DJ'd for other artists like Ari Lennox, Alxndr London, Masego, and Mosey Sumney.

Yvonne Huatin Chow/House of Chow - As Hip-Hop celebrates its 50th year around the sun, we will kick off the PROUD LEGACY event with Hip-Hop Dance from 3pm - 4pm. This movement session will be led by Yvonne of @house.of.chow, one of our very own Emerging Artist Residents at Culture Lab! Immerse yourself in a guided Hip-Hop Dance cypher to learn more about the roots of the culture and its art forms. Learn foundational vocabulary spanning from the East Coast to the West Coast in a joyful experience that welcomes all levels.

Yvonne Huatin Chow | 周化炜 (she/hers) is a 1st generation, Chinese American, queer woman from the Bay Area, CA (Ohlone Land). In 2005, she moved to the birthplace of Hip-Hop, NYC (Lenape Land) to immerse herself in a culture and dance form that spoke deeply to her. She has been training in Hip-Hop Dance foundations for over two decades, and is now a renowned choreographer and dance educator. In 2015, Yvonne founded House of Chow, a dance organization with the mission of educating, empowering, and unifying Asians in the US through Hip-Hop Dance.

Omer Mil - Co-founder of An.Art Records and Vin.yl events in NY, Omer Mil is a multicultural, multifaceted DJ and producer, bringing his passion for movement to the turntables and dance floor. Born in Paris, raised both there and in NYC, with strong French and African roots, Omer Mil vitalizes his own life experience by swerving seamlessly through a boundless variety of sounds and selections. Growing up transcending borders, cultures, and identities, Omer Mil is dedicated to delivering mixes which vitalize these stories.

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About :

Culture Lab LIC is an arts & culture 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to showcasing local, national, and international artists of all disciplines across our art galleries, theater, and stages in accessible and engaging ways. We provide other non-profits, artists, and community members with space, resources, and a sense of community!

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