(Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)
By Isoken Osagie
(MANHATTAN, N.Y.) The New York pop-up arts festival kicked off Saturday at Javits Center with Jazz musician Jon Batiste, choreographer and tap dancer Ayodele Casel and opera singer Anthony Roth Costanzo.
According to NBC New York, the show marks the beginning of 200 days of NY PopsUp, a free arts festival dedicated to reviving New York's arts and culture scene.
Saturday's performance paid tribute to New York's health care workers.
In a tweet on Saturday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, "The pandemic has devastated the arts but today we start to bring back the energy of live performances & revitalize the spirit of New Yorkers."
Batiste in a statement said about the festival, "When you believe in the mission of a project as much as everyone on the Council believes in NY PopsUp, it’s an absolute joy to come to work. New York is defined by all the great performers who live and work here, and it’s about time we let all these artists unleash their creativity and do what they were born to do."
According to the state, the festival is "intended to revitalize the spirit and emotional well-being of New York citizens with the energy of live performance while jump-starting New York's struggling live entertainment sector," per NBC New York.
NY PopsUp is being coordinated with public health officials and is expected to strictly follow the Department of Health's COVID-19 guidelines.