DJ Rekha is a London-born, New York City based musician, DJ, producer, curator, and activist. Named “the Ambassador of Bhangra” by The New York Times and one of the most influential South Asians by Newsweek, Rekha has been credited with pioneering Bhangra music in North America. Her record label, Beat Bazaar Music, launched in November 2011, and is a broad cross-section of musical genres – from Bhangra to Dancehall to Hip Hop to Bollywood. DJ Rekha marked the ten-year anniversary of Basement Bhangra in 2007, with the compilation, DJ Rekha presents Basement Bhangra, featuring an array of international stars, including Wyclef Jean, Panjabi MC, Tigerstyle and Bikram Singh.

DJ Rekha was the Sound Designer for the 2006 TONY winning Broadway Show Bridge and Tunnel, as well as the Off-Broadway show Rafta Rafta. She served as Associate Producer for the NPR Radio Documentary A Feet in Two Worlds, was the 2009 Cultural Ambassador to the U.S. in India for the U.S. State Department, and performed at the White House. She gives lectures and workshops on Hip Hop, politics, and South Asian art for the Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum, and Colombia University, and her work has been featured on CNN, NPR, and PBS.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 AT 2PM:

Teardrop Park.

The two-acre Teardrop Park is a synthesis of landscape design and artistic vision. Inspired by the dramatic geology of the Hudson River Valley, massive bluestone elements make up the natural sculptural landscape designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and artist Ann Hamilton. 

Therese Folkes Plair performs stories and music that celebrates the oral and written literature of people of African descent. Through dramatic retelling, she will bring alive excerpts from Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s history-making “I Have A Dream” speech from 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. for families on August 16th. Hear about a visionary man’s dream of a world where King’s own children and all children “would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.” Experience how a dream of racial harmony and equal rights for all people became the dream of a nation.

Space is limited and advanced registration is required. To pre-register, call 212.267.9700 ext. 363, or email [email protected]. Payment can be made by check to BPCPC, or by Visa or Master Card. Battery Park City Parks Conservancy offers 5% discounts to siblings enrolled in Stories & Songs