DANCE PARADE 2013 SPACER GUIDE

SPACERS are perhaps the most important of all your group:You have been chosen to keep the flow of the parade, and to dance with your group. Thank you again for volunteering your time in support of your group of dancers getting the time they deserve on Broadway!

GENERAL INFORMATION
Check-in at the table on 21st and Broadway between 10AM and Noon. You will receive a number identifying your group. Please hold this number during the assembly of the parade. We will also confirm the line-up number of the group you are spacing for, i.e. A5, B22, C50, V45, etc. After checking in, spacers should find their group and get ready to go!

PARADE LINE-UP
Each Dance Group is given a number, with 1 being the first group in the parade, and 2 being the second group in the parade etc. Groups without vehicles line-up on 21 st Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South. The street is divided into SIX BLOCKS: BLOCK A, BLOCK B, BLOCK C, BLOCK D, BLOCK E, and BLOCK F. The first dance groups will be in BLOCK A, with the subsequent blocks following, ending with the last section of dance groups will be in BLOCK F. BLOCK A is the closest to Broadway on 21 st Street, and BLOCK F will be the furthest from Broadway (the closest to Park Avenue South). For vehicles and floats, BLOCK A will be the closest to Broadway on 21 st Street, and BLOCK F will be the furthest from Broadway (the closest to Sixth Avenue) on 21 st Street. This block is noted as BLOCK V on map. Individuals in groups marching with vehicles line-up on 21 st Street between 5th Avenue and Broadway, with the lowest numbers closest to Broadway. This block is noted as BLOCK V on map. Only dancers with wristbands will be allowed on 22 nd Street. Keep in mind that some numbers might be skipped because not all groups have vehicles.

DANCE PARADE 2013 SPACER GUIDE

PARADE ROUTE
Parade begins at 1PM sharp. The entire route is approximately 1.5 miles, and should take approximately one hour to travel from start to finish. Route proceeds down Broadway to Union Square. Broadway from 17th to 22nd Streets now has pedestrian plazas which cut down the amount of actual street area by approx. 33%. Along Union Square West, the farmers market will be in full effect. From 14 th-15th Street there is a section of cobblestone. The parade continues south onto University Place, and turns east onto 8 th Street. This is a wide turn, and a great place to perform, or give your grandstand routine a test run. This is also a place traditionally where the parade lags, so please keep your group moving. Parade will then turn east on 8 th Street which becomes Saint Marks. On Saint Marks Place between Cooper Square and 3rd Avenue is our GRANDSTAND, where each group has a maximum of 90 seconds to perform a brief sequence (if they choose) for our spectators. Saint Marks Place leads straight to Tompkins Square Park and the end of the parade route. Street Dancers will enter the park from the entrance at Saint Marks Place and Avenue A (west side of the park). Please do not stop keep moving clockwise through the intersection and into the park as there are probably hundreds of dancers and spectators coming behind you. Motorized floats and vehicles will turn north on Avenue A, go two blocks and turn right on 10 th Street for float breakdown and dismissal between Avenues A and B. Green and other non-motorized vehicles will also turn north on Avenue A, and enter the park at 9th Street.

SPACER DUTIES
ON THE ROUTE The parade officially begins at 21 st Street and Broadway. At 1PM sharp the PARADE START CAPTAIN will begin sending groups down the route following the Dance Parade banner. Spacers should follow any directives that any production team members have at this intersection. Spacers should maintain a distance of approximately 15-20 feet behind the group in front of them. This is important especially when turning corners, and at intersections. Spacers should be no more than 8-10 feet in front of their group so that they can see your signals easily. Spacers maintain the pacing of their group simply by walking slower or faster. To speed groups up, direct your arms to the front of the parade in large repeating motions.

DANCE PARADE 2013 SPACER GUIDE

To stop your group, put both arms straight into the air with palms facing group and STOP. Stops may occur before traffic lights, at critical pedestrian junctions including the Union Square Farmers Market and all major intersections. Watch for instructions from NYPD. Spacers should observe red lights, unless otherwise directed by NYPD. Dancing on the route? Of course theres dancing! All groups should generally be engaging in rhythmic movement along the entire route. For groups interested in performing brief routines, these may ONLY occur before crossing an intersection whether or not the light is red and when traveling past our grandstand. It is up to the spacers again to manage this process for dancers and to communicate with your group coordinator when their performance location may not be appropriate. At no time should any group stop in the middle of an intersection! It is up to the spacer to determine whether or not to pause at a green or yellow light (for performance purposes), unless otherwise directed by the NYPD or a member of the parade production staff. AT THE GRANDSTAND Our GRANDSTAND is located where Astor Place and 8th Street merge before turning into Saint Marks Place. After crossing Lafayette Street, you will be on the block before the grandstand. Please take care not to get stuck in the intersection of these very short blocks! Spacers should assist in getting groups to move through this area quickly to maintain parade spacing.

AT THE END OF THE PARADE Street dancers enter directly into the park from Saint Marks Place. Spacers should continue leading groups directly into the park clockwise until you reach the bandshell (Stage A). Please keep groups moving, beyond the entrance of the park and along the path going left we need to keep the intersection of Saint Marks and Avenue A as clear as possible. If you are spacing for a group with a vehicle or float, please help dancers quickly disembark, clear the intersection, and enter the park. At this point your number one job is to get people moving out of the street and into the park. The vehicle or float will then continue to 10th Street for breakdown and dismissal. Please remember that as the parade comes to an end, you may have to slow down or stop your group more frequently.

DANCE PARADE 2013 SPACER GUIDE

THINGS TO REMEMBER
Weather contingencies: sunscreen, head covering, towels to wipe that sweat off, plastic poncho, etc. The parade happens RAIN OR SHINE. Comfortable shoes. You will more than likely be on your feet dancing the entire day. Get ready! Water (and something to carry it in if you want your hands free). The staging area does not have designated bathrooms (but the park does). Most of the businesses in the area open at 10AM. Please be respectful of their livelihoods by remaining in the staging areas when not patronizing them! The parade is about celebrating diversity and inclusion, and experiencing discoveries as a community. We encourage you to share your work and message with others and take full advantage of the resources that so many talented and dedicated dancers bring together for one magical day!

Visit us on the Web at www.danceparade.org Email: nikki@danceparade.org Day of Questions: text 212-729-6627