Located in Newport, Rhode Island
Bridging The Gap Festival
Since 1954, Newport has welcomed tens of thousands of people to celebrate the rich culture and history of jazz music. Salve Regina University augments the incredible work of the Newport Jazz Festival by presenting a festival dedicated to jazz dance in conversation with jazz music. Curated by One Jazz Collective, this three-day festival aims to bridge the gap that is often perceived between jazz dance and jazz music. Education is central to Bridging the Gap Festival, which includes performances, workshops and public lectures featuring performers and collaborators of One Jazz Collective.
Bridging The Gap
A Jazz Dance and Music Festival
July 28 - august 4, 2025
Newport, RI
More Info Below
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Bridging the Gap: Moving on Common Ground
Wednesday, July 30th
Newport, RI
Back by popular demand! Salve’s historic Ochre Court will transform into a jazz lounge featuring Marcus Grant and the Movement: drummer Marcus Grant with Noah Allen (trumpet), Brayden Beason (bass), Noah Campbell (saxophone), Andrew Wilcox (piano). Expect a lively evening with music made visual by One Jazz Collective with special guest Orlando Hernández (NYC). Artistic Direction by Marcus Grant and Trinity Leite. Doors open at 7 pm with the first set beginning at 8 pm. Cash bar.
General Admission: $27
Seating is limited - first come, first served. Standing room in bar area with high top tables.
Movement Music: Protest and the How/Where/Why People Move
Marcus Grant with Leland Baker
Music has the ability to encourage many types of movement; from foot tapping, head nodding, and dancing to marching, protesting, and chanting. These movements often coexist and complement each other, leading to a visual expression of individual or collective ideas. This talk explores the ways in which Black folks move and continue to move using music as a key to identity formation.
** Free and open to the public but you must reserve tickets in advance. **
Tuesday, July 29th 4:00 – 5:15 pm
Newport, RI
One Jazz: The Language of Jazz Music and Dance
Brandi Coleman, Kimberley Cooper, Lindsay Guarino, Monique Haley
What are the enduring values of jazz evident in the music and the dance? What is the role of the audience in the conversation between musician, dancer, and observer? Jazz dance artists Brandi Coleman, Kimberley Cooper, Lindsay Guarino and Monique Haley will share their individual and collective journeys “in the music,” and discuss how the visceral experience of jazz acts as an invitation to listen, share, and respond authentically and spontaneously.
** Free and open to the public but you must reserve tickets in advance. **
Wednesday, July 30th 1 – 2 pm
Newport, RI
Dancing in the Break
Orlando Hernández
In this lecture-demonstration, tap dancer and choreographer Orlando Hernández will talk about the intertwined histories of tap dance and jazz music. Bridging dance and music spaces, he will share stories and videos from his own work as a practitioner of tap with an emphasis on listening, musical conversation and improvisation.
** Free and open to the public but you must reserve tickets in advance. **
Thursday, July 31st 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Newport, RI
Cultural Diplomacy: The Healing Survivorship of Music and Dance
Duane Lee Holland
This fellowship in lecture form features the magical cathartic formula of how music, dance, community, and spirituality can manifest infinite aspects of healing and purpose. Associate Professor and Director of UMass-Amherst Dance program, Duane Lee Holland, Jr reveals how utilizing the concepts of context (history), content (movement), and citation (source) allows us to arrive at the limitless power of Music and Dance.
** Free and open to the public but you must reserve tickets in advance. **
Monday, August 4th 12:45 – 1:45 pm
Newport, RI
