September 4 | 6pm | Seaport Square, Pier 16 | Free
As part of the Down to Earth International Festival of Multidisciplinary Performance in Public Spaces, Seaport Square and Pier 16 will transform into a stage for the sky. Join the Seaport Museum and The Seaport for a breathtaking, one-night-only performance by French acrobatic troupe Compagnie Basinga and internationally renowned tightrope artist Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga.
In Soka Tira Osoa—meaning “pulling the rope”—Cie Basinga invites the audience into their reimagining of the traditional tug-of-war as a powerful act of collaboration. With the help of volunteers, the artists and audience will work together to stabilize the high wire, forming a unique bond of trust and shared effort.
Then, all eyes will turn skyward as Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga, one of the world’s few women high-wire walkers, takes center stage—alone, on a wire, high above the ground. Accompanied by live music and the rhythmic energy of the crowd, Tatiana’s awe-inspiring crossing will blend delicate precision with poetic grace in a performance that celebrates the importance of collective endeavor in creating togetherness and hope.
Advanced registration is encouraged for this family-friendly event. Walkups will be accommodated as possible.
About the Down to Earth Festival
Down to Earth brings world-class international multidisciplinary performances, dance, theatre, in-situ events and contemporary circus—absolutely free—directly to New York City’s vibrant, diverse communities. An initiative that democratizes cultural expression, the inaugural festival is initiated by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The Graduate Center CUNY which serves as the festival’s producer, underwriter and fiscal agent.
The 2025 Festival features seven international productions, workshops, interactive events, ten presentations of PRELUDE—a festival-within-a-festival, focusing on artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre, dance, interdisciplinary and mediatized performance—and two symposia that explore themes of migration, diversity, social justice, theatre as a tool of resistance, intergenerational alliance, climate change and our imperiled democracy. Performances will be held across various New York City parks and public spaces.
About Compagnie Basinga
Compagnie Basinga is a company gathered around the art of high-wire walking. Through research, teaching, sharing, and through the production of high-quality participative shows, Basinga seeks to develop, expand, transmit, and communicate this art that, better than any other, illustrates how our greatness is based on our weaknesses and our ability to combine them.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the historic ships and exhibition galleries at the Seaport Museum is not included with this event. If you would like to explore more that the Museum has to offer, book in advance or ask Museum staff about admission tickets, available Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm when you check in.
Museum admission tickets grant access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16 as well as all current exhibitions on view in the introduction galleries inside Schermerhorn Row located at 12 Fulton Street.
Admission tickets also include entry to the new Maritime City exhibition in A.A. Thomson & Co. located at 213 Water Street.
South Street Seaport Museum
By subway: Take the A, C, 2, 3, J, Z, 4, or 5 train to Fulton Street.
By bus: Take the M-15 SBS or M-15 to Fulton Street.
By water: The NYC Ferry, and New York Waterway provide service to Pier 11. The Staten Island Ferry provides services to Whitehall Terminal.
Parking: Parking lots can be found at Front and John Streets, as well as 294 Pearl Street.