Step by step: Dance Parade returns this Saturday

More than 10,000 dancers are expected to participate in the 19th Annual Dance Parade and Festival on Saturday. 

The event will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at West 17th Street and Sixth Avenue. Grand Marshals Danny Tenaglia, Mercedes Ellington, Funmilayo Chesney, and David Parsons will be recognized for their contributions to dance. 

The parade, featuring 150 dance groups representing a range of styles, starts at noon ... and makes its way across Eighth Street to Astor Place, where there's a grandstand at St. Mark's Place. The festivities end at Tompkins Square Park ... when the DanceFest is on tap from 3-7 p.m. 

Via the EVG inbox: 

At the conclusion of the parade in Tompkins Square Park, the public can enjoy a festival featuring performances on two stages, a teaching stage, site-specific works, and a dedicated dance party area with DJs spinning an eclectic mix of genres. 

Five dedicated dance studios will offer free dance classes from some of New York's most esteemed instructors. The festival is designed to be an immersive and participatory celebration of dance.

Expect some street closures for all this on Saturday, including Astor Place between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue, St Mark's Place between 3rd Avenue /Astor Place and Avenue A, and Avenue A between St. Mark's Place and 10th Street. 

Relive last year's event in photos here.