Over the weekend, a new dance festival made its debut in New Haven, Connecticut. Gabrielle Niederhoffer created DanceHaven was created to deep-dive into New Haven’s complex dance history and the forgotten history of Paul Hall with the surrounding community. From pop-up exhibitions on New Haven’s dance history to master classes, DanceHaven is an event that Gabrielle has been inspired to create for years. A culmination of her love of tap, her work with “the queen of tap” Dormeshia, and a desire to celebrate Black vernacular dance, DanceHaven is a project that Gabrielle called “a wonderful learning experience.”
We caught up with Gabrielle for an inside look at her project and Dormeshia for insight on how they made it all happen and the dancers that helped bring it to life.