12 Dance Performances to See in NYC This Summer, Five Are FREE
In terms of COVID-19 safety protocols, indoor performances require audiences to wear masks and provide proof of full vaccination unless otherwise indicated. Outdoor events do not mandate either. While we are doing our best to keep this article up to date, rules vary and are subject to change. Before buying tickets to any event, double-check the COVID-19 rules so you are prepared.
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Chelsea Factory, 547 West 26th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in Chelsea
Runs July 15-16
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Ladies of Hip-Hop: Ladies Battle!
Chelsea Factory, 547 West 26th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in Chelsea
Runs July 17. FREE but registration required.
Let’s hear it for the ladies! Watch the fierce females of hip-hop go head-to-head at this annual dance-off, featuring contestants from around the world competing for cash and bragging rights. Hip-hop battles are communal gatherings with scheduled matches and interactions between pros and fans leading up to the main event. Come in the afternoon to groove to live deejayed sets and marvel at the latest innovations in the genre. Stick around through the evening to see who’ll take this year’s crown.
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Pier 55 in Hudson River Park between 13th and 14th Streets in the Meatpacking District
Runs July 20-31. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
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Coney Island Amphitheater, 3052 West 21st Street and the Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn
Runs July 23. FREE but seating is first come, first served.
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MOMIX: ALICE
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs through July 24.
MOMIX, Moses Pendleton’s more conceptual-minded offshoot of Pilobolus, returns to The Joyce with an eye-popping take on Alice in Wonderland. Rather than follow a strict narrative, the director-choreographer hints at the plot with dances inspired by beloved characters such as the Caterpillar and the Queen of Hearts, and he ties the evening together with the company’s patented blend of trippy dance effects and physical daring.
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Dormeshia Tap Collective: Rhythm Is Life
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs July 26-31. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Dormeshia is known as the queen of tap not only for her brio and phenomenal skills, but also for her mission to celebrate the legacies of the hoofers who preceded her. For her new work Rhythm Is Life, she has gathered an incredible group of tappers and musicians to pay homage to dances from the past while creating new moves to the joyful beat that pushes us forward.
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Black Grace
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs August 2-7. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Founded by Neil Ieremia in 1995, Black Grace is one of New Zealand’s premiere contemporary dance companies, showcasing vibrant works inspired by his multicultural Samoan and Kiwi background. For the NYC stop on his troupe’s international tour, Ieremia is presenting an eclectic trio of works: a reinvention of Vivaldi’s Gloria, a piece inspired by lauded Samoan visual artist Fatu Feu’u and a new version of his 1995 opus Handgame, which incorporates elements of traditional Samoan dance.
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Damrosch Park Bandshell at Lincoln Center, 62nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues in Lincoln Square
Runs August 6-7. FREE but seating is first come, first served.
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A.I.M by Kyle Abraham: Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth
Runs August 11-13. Tickets are pay-what-you-can starting at $5.
More Kyle Abraham at Lincoln Center! The MacArthur genius teams up with electronic dance music phenom Jlin for Requiem: Fire in the Air of the Earth, a meditation on death and reincarnation filtered through a high-tech reinvention of Mozart’s haunting Requiem. Ten A.I.M by Kyle Abraham dancers explore mourning and rebirth through movement in this New York premiere.
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Rennie Harris: LIFTED
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs August 9-14. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Rennie Harris is one of the world’s leading exponents of narrative hip-hop and house dance. In LIFTED: A Gospel House Musical, he has transformed the story of Oliver Twist into a young Black man’s mission to heal himself as well as his community. This evening-length work features live gospel music, a vibrant ensemble, and Harris’ innovative blend of hip-hop, house and dance theatre infused with Black traditions.
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Damrosch Park Bandshell at Lincoln Center, 62nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues in Lincoln Square
Runs August 9-13. FREE but seating is first come, first served.
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Robert Wagner Park, 20 Battery Place in Battery Park City.
Runs August 13-20. FREE but seating is first come, first served.
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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.
Juan Michael Porter II