New York City’s longest-running free public dance festival returns to the waterfront Aug. 10–16. The 45th Battery Dance Festival at Robert F. Wagner Park (20 Battery Place, Battery Park City) opens Monday, Aug. 10 with free 45-minute community dance workshops at 4, 5, 6, and 7 p.m. — led by local companies and designed for beginners. Performances run nightly Aug. 11–16 at 7 p.m., two hours each, with world premieres (including a new commission by former New York City Ballet principal Jock Soto), US debuts from Spain, Romania, and Taiwan, and a Saturday program of classical Indian dance honoring Indian Independence Day. The beloved “Everybody Dance Now” segment invites the audience to join in. It’s free for all ages, no tickets required, with the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop — and it doubles as a milestone edition marking 50 years of Battery Dance and founder Jonathan Hollander’s leadership.

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