Downtown Express photos by Kenzie

Nearly 200 paddlers plowed through rough waters surrounding Manhattan in support of autistic children. “I’ve seen children smile, talk, and show emotions for the first time,” said big wave surfer Garrett Mcnamara, who teaches autistic children how to surf. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Dance Downtown, Dance

Members of the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet Dance Theatre of Brooklyn performed in the last show of this year’s Downtown Dance Festival on Friday, August 20 at One New York Plaza on the corner of Whitehall and Water Streets. It was the 29th year of the festival, which was established by the Battery Dance Company. Performances at the plaza marked the second year in a row that B.D.C. partnered with Brookfield Properties. Highlights of this year’s festival included first-time performances by international dance groups like Japan’s Yuko Takahashi Dance Company and Kathakali dancers from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.