12 Dance Performances to See in NYC This Holiday Season
Catch Les Trocks, multiple Nutcrackers, a world premiere by Michelle Dorrance and more
NYC’s winter dance season always brings a nonstop march of Nutcrackers and holiday spectaculars. But there are also plenty of adventurous, body-bending delights on the boards to close out 2022.
In terms of COVID-19 safety protocols, rules vary by venue. While we are trying to keep this article up to date, be sure to double-check the protocols before purchasing tickets so you arrive prepared.
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The Graham Studio Theater at Westbeth, 55 Bethune Street between West and Washington Streets in the West Village
Runs November 18-19. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are required.
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La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue in the East Village
Runs November 18-20. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are required.
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Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Avenue at 50th Street in Midtown West
Runs November 18-January 2, 2023. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are optional.
The world-famous Rockettes are back for their annual 90-minute celebration of NYC during the holidays. This seasonal spectacle has been kicking up its heels every year since 1933 (save for a 2020 pandemic hiatus) and features Santa Claus, a Living Nativity, a virtual tour of the Big Apple and impeccable synchronized dancing from a crew of leggy ladies. They are the show’s raison d’être and these hardworking troupers perform up to five times a day!
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Complexions Contemporary Ballet
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs November 22-December 4. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are required.
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New York City Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs November 25-December 31.
Masks are optional.
As always, there are a multitude of Nutcrackers to see this season. But George Balanchine’s version for New York City Ballet, which premiered in 1954, is what turned this Christmas ballet into a seasonal staple across the United States. Not only does the holiday treat offer star turns for many of the company’s rising dancers, it also gives myriad children their first taste of dance, whether they’re watching or performing in the show. While full of beautiful dancing perfectly set to Tchaikovsky’s evergreen score, for Balanchine, the most exciting aspect was conjuring the stage magic to grow the Christmas tree to epic heights. All these decades later, that adorned arbor, gorgeous music and glorious dancing continue to attract audiences from all over the world.
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New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs November 30-December 24.
Masks are required.
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BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Runs December 1-3.
Masks are optional.
Israeli choreographer Emanuel Gat’s troupe of dancers dives into LOVETRAIN2020, a celebration of the sounds and vibes of the ’80s set to songs by the British duo Tears for Fears. Presented as part of BAM’s New Wave festival, this 75-minute piece features 14 dancers swirling around the stage in Thomas Bradley’s colorful, genderfluid costumes, combining idiosyncratic gestures with ensemble sequences that evoke a painting of a bacchanal come to life.
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Tere O’Connor: Rivulets
Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in Midtown West
Runs December 7-17.
Masks are optional.
Veteran modern choreographer Tere O’Connor taps some of NYC’s hottest young dancers in this world premiere exploring the relationship between unison and non-unison movement. This hourlong piece gives these dazzling performers a showcase to evolve their artistry in real time through a variety of expansive movements. The title means small stream, and O’Connor’s Rivulets is a collection of choreographic pathways that refuse to be pinned down within one specific style or technique.
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The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs December 7-18.
Masks are required.
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Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side
Runs December 9-11. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are optional.
Set in 1895, The Yorkville Nutcracker takes audiences on a festive tour of old New York as envisioned by choreographer Francis Patrelle, including stops at Gracie Mansion’s ballroom and a romantic romp in Central Park. This version of the iconic holiday ballet features a first act that is less of a traditional pantomime and more of a character-driven dance party. Patrelle always snags New York City Ballet dancers to play the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. This year, those honors go to the recently promoted soloist Miriam Miller and longtime principal Jared Angle.
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Gibney: YAG 2022
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea
Runs December 13-17.
Masks are optional.
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Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs December 20-January 8.
Masks are required.
The comedic ballet troupe of male and nonbinary dancers is back and primed for their traditional holiday run at the Joyce. This year, the divas have sharpened their pointes and freshened up their technique for a retrospective of their classical repertoire, including Act II of Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, The Dying Swan and Paquita. The joy of watching the Trocks is that they don’t shy away from spoofing the ridiculousness of ballet or its gendered tropes. But when it comes time to bust out the fouetté turns and batterie, they aren’t playing around.
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Juan Michael Porter II is the staff writer for TheBody.com and a contributor to TDF Stages, Did They Like It?, SF Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, American Theatre, them, Into More and SYFY Wire. He is a National Critics Institute and Poynter Power of Diverse Voices Fellow. Follow him at @juanmichaelii. Follow TDF at @ TDFNYC.
Top image: April Watson from Complexions Contemporary Ballet, which has a two-week run at The Joyce. Photo by Rachel Neville.
Juan Michael Porter II