As a resident of Catskill, Stuart Breslow has long supported Hudson Valley Dance Festival, a moving, one-day dance benefit held in the town yearly since 2013. “We always loved Hudson Valley Dance Festival and how it brought world-class dance to the town of Catskill,” Breslow said. “But at Catskill Food Pantry, where I now serve on the board, the support is felt even more deeply. The festival is one of the key elements of the mosaic of support for our community.”
Catskill Food Pantry is one of the 18 local organizations supported by the festival’s fundraising. “Broadway Cares is our second-largest source of income,” Breslow said. “In a town where 51 percent of students in the school system face food insecurity, it’s a lifeline.”
Now in its 12th year, Hudson Valley Dance Festival brings acclaimed dancers and choreographers together to share bold, moving works that make a difference. Audiences have been treated to tap from Caleb Teicher & Company and Dorrance Dance; ballet from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and Wendy Whelan; and contemporary works from Parsons Dance, Paul Taylor Dance Company and more.
Proceeds from this year’s performances, which are set for 2pm and 5pm on Saturday, October 11 at Historic Catskill Point, will provide meals, medication, counseling, health care and hope through grants to organizations in the Hudson Valley and more than 450 others nationwide through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ National Grants Program. Dancers Responding to AIDS is a program of Broadway Cares.
Serving on the Catskill Food Pantry board has given Breslow a firsthand understanding of how essential that support is. “We feed about 115 to 120 households every week, and there’s such a struggle right now with food insecurity,” he said. “Inflation is rising. SNAP (federal food) benefits have been cut, and direct support to individuals is dwindling. We’re facing a triple whammy of need right now.”
Thanks to the supporters of Hudson Valley Dance Festival, Catskill Food Pantry can continue to meet the pressing needs of its community.
That spirit of artistry and compassion is at the heart of Dancers Responding to AIDS. “Dancers Responding to AIDS was born out of a desperate need to help our dancer friends dying from AIDS in the 1990s. As the organization has grown, so has our ability to help,” says Founding Director Denise Roberts Hurlin. “We’re endlessly inspired and empowered by the artistry of this region, and it’s an honor to give back to it in such a powerful way.”
Hudson Valley Dance Festival will be held October 11 at Historic Catskill Point in Catskill. To purchase tickets or explore this year’s lineup visit Dradance.org/hvdance.
