14 Dance Performances to See in April
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Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition
Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side
Runs April 8-12. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
See tomorrow’s dance stars today! More than 200 young dancers from a dozen countries convene for this annual competition. Through increasingly rigorous rounds, they showcase their skills in classical, contemporary and the newly added free-style category. The panel of judges includes luminaries such as Nina Ananiashvili and Charles Jude, and the event culminates in the April 12 gala featuring performances by the finalists, an awards ceremony and a special appearance by founder Valentina Kozlova.
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Ailey II
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs April 9-14
Alvin Ailey’s junior troupe features a dozen technically assured, highly individual dancers, some of whom will soon join the main company or move on to other prestigious dance ensembles. To mark Ailey II’s 50th anniversary, the dancers will perform excerpts from works by Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison and William Forsythe alongside Luminous by artistic director Francesca Harper and a world premiere by the inventive contemporary duo Baye & Asa.
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Young Boy Dancing Group 2024
Performance Space New York, 150 First Avenue at 9th Street in the East Village
Runs April 11-13
Denounced by Alex Jones, this decade-old, gender-inclusive, experimental collective performs raw and sensual dances through structured improvisation. See what riles Jones up live and in person!
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New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown
Runs April 11-14. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
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Beth Gill: Nail Biter
NYU Skirball, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South in the West Village
Runs April 12-13
Contemporary dance-maker Beth Gill creates impactful works that are noteworthy for their craftsmanship and formalism. This new piece for five dancers, including Gill, explores our anxious times through myth, horror and collective angst.
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LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, 31-10 Thomson Avenue at Van Dam Street in Long Island City, Queens Long Island City, NY 11101
Runs April 14. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
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The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs April 16-21
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Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side
Runs April 17-18
Former New York City Ballet soloist Tom Gold crafts chamber ballets with a brisk contemporary flair. In addition to revivals of Counterpoint, set to music by Steve Reich, and Rapid Oxidation with a percussive Donald Knaack score, Gold’s namesake troupe presents the world premiere of Lavender Is All the Rage, danced to an Ezio Bosso string quartet and featuring members of NYCB’s corps de ballet.
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New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown
Runs April 17-20. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
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Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca: Searching for Goya
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs April 23-28
Choreographed by Noche Flamenca artistic director Martin Santangelo and Bessie Award-winning principal dancer Soledad Barrio, Searching for Goya further develops the troupe’s potent, boundary-pushing blend of flamenco, drama and live music. Inspired by the 2021 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit “Goya’s Graphic Imagination,” this evening-length work consists of a series of scenes conjuring the legendary artist’s visual responses to Spain’s political turmoil in the early 1800s.
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New York City Ballet: Spring Season
David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs April 23-June 2
The third and final portion of New York City Ballet’s landmark 75th anniversary year juxtaposes the bold contemporary works the company has commissioned with classic repertory by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The spring season opens with an all-Balanchine program, and later dates feature choreography by the likes of Kyle Abraham, Ulysses Dove, Christopher Wheeldon and Pam Tanowitz. The May 2 gala includes two world premieres, one by Tony winner Justin Peck, the other by Amy Hall Garner. The six-week run closes with Balanchine’s delightful A Midsummer Night’s Dream with multiple casts.
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Ballet Hispánico
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown
Runs April 25-28. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
The country’s largest Latine dance company marks Eduardo Vilaro’s 15th year as artistic director with a triple bill featuring the world premiere of his Buscando a Juan, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent Juan de Pareja exhibit showcasing the work of the Afro-Hispanic painter. A reimagining of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Mad’moiselle exploring gender identity in Latin American and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s 18+1 round out the program.
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Runs April 26-28.
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Message in a Bottle
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown
Runs April 30-May 12. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Award-winning British choreographer Kate Prince may not be well known on this side of the pond, but this dance-theatre epic set to songs by Sting is changing that. Message in a Bottle has been touring the US and was also streamed on PBS Great Performances late last year. Now catch this thrilling, street dance-infused spectacle in person at City Center depicting the tale of three siblings driven from their home by war.
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Susan Reiter covers dance for TDF Stages.