Rio and London carnival artists collaborated for the Hackney One Carnival to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay, screenings of restored Hitchcock films at east London venues and a fantastic program of theater, dance and outdoor events at the Barbican and with the Create festival.

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Every year, the Harkness Dance Festival and various performance series bring choreographers and performers at various stages of their careers to Buttenwieser Hall to celebrate the history and future of modern dance.

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To drive away evil spirits, 500, 000 rounds of eardrum-testing pyrotechnics will be set off at Sara Roosevelt Park in Chinatown at the New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival on 10 February, before lion and dragon dance troupes make the rounds to local businesses to ring in the Year of the Snake.

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The format was developed for last year's festival by choreographer Doug Varone, who has been the artist in residence at the Harkness Dance Center since 2007.

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