Elise Long's Brooklyn Artists Illuminate a Soggy Lincoln Center

It's a dedicated audience that will stand outside in a thunderstorm. Such a crowd arrived at the North Plaza one rainy afternoon to watch hundreds of Brooklyn artists dance, drum, and frolic. The festivities began calmly enough. Endearing groups of children turned the plaza into a playground with their games. Martita Goshen, reminiscent of Isadora Duncan in a long white dress, waltzed around a homeless man, reminding me why I love site-specific dance. But soon I learned that this "Community of Creativity" could not, would not, be classified so easily. Traditional Indian dancers skipped past yogis who took a break from their downward dogs to join a drum circle that continued through the thunder, their instruments protected in plastic bags. Claire Porter loomed over the performers as if they were her flock, requesting dedications for Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of learning and art. The finale taunted the clouds into spewing forth more rain, motivating all into a glorious, frenzied circle dance.