16 Dance Performances to See in May
See American Ballet Theatre’s junior troupe, a premiere from Christopher Wheeldon, eclectic companies at the Joyce and more
—
In terms of COVID-19 safety protocols, masks are optional and proof of vaccination is not required unless otherwise noted. 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.
If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account daily to see what we’re selling as ticket inventory changes frequently.
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs May 2-7.
—
Liz Roche Company: Yes and Yes
Irish Arts Center, 726 Eleventh Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets in Midtown West
Runs May 4-6. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Masks are required at matinee performances only.
Ireland’s Liz Roche, a veteran choreographer on her homeland’s dance scene, makes her NYC debut with a work that takes its title and affirmative approach from the Penelope episode of James Joyce’s Ulysses, exploring the novel’s characters, themes, sensuality and absurdity. The 70-minute piece features four dancers complemented by projections.
—
Runs May 4-6.
Masks are required.
SYREN celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new piece by Kate Sutter inspired by Constantine P. Cavafy’s poem Ithaka. Structured in nine sections and set to a score by Los Angeles-based composer Calimossa, it chronicles the artistic and emotional evolution of the company over the past two decades.
—
Miguel Gutierrez: I as another
Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in Midtown West
Runs May 4-7.
A versatile and unpredictable dancer-choreographer, Miguel Gutierrez performs the New York premiere of this duet with Laila Franklin. Set in a timeless dystopia, I as another is a meditation on memory and the challenges of connection featuring movement and text by Gutierrez.
—
New York Theatre Ballet
Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street between Madison and Park Avenues
Runs May 5-7. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets to NYTB’s Legends & Visionaries program.
For its inaugural NYC performances under the leadership of its new artistic director Steven Melendez, a longtime lead dancer with the company, NYTB presents classics as well as fresh work. The Legends & Visionaries lineup features Arthur Avilés’ Vibrant Blue, commissioned for the new multiyear initiative Letters to My Father, which invites male-identifying choreographers to create dances exploring father-son relationships. It’s paired with Song Before Spring, co-choreographed by Melendez and American Ballet Theatre soloist Zhong-Jing Fang to a Philip Glass score. The family-friendly Once Upon a Ballet matinees feature the stalwart Carnival of the Animals and Little Improvisations, an underrated gem by the great Antony Tudor.
—
Ice Theatre of New York
Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, 21st Street and Eleventh Avenue in Chelsea
Runs May 5-8. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
For almost 40 years, Ice Theatre of New York has championed and expanded the artistry of choreography on skates. This program includes four world premieres, pieces by celebrated modern dance-makers Jody Sperling and Alberto del Saz, and even the aerial and ice solo “Neurocircle.” The gala on Monday, May 8 honors beloved American figure skater Jason Brown and offers a rare chance to see him in action live in NYC.
—
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs May 9-14. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
The much-admired Nrityagram, a leading exponent of the Odissi style of Indian dance, returns to the Joyce in an exciting collaboration with Chitrasena, a troupe from Sri Lanka that specializes in Kandyan dance. In the evening-length Āhuti, which translates as “offering,” both companies honor and expand on their ancient practices for a cross-cultural collaboration.
—
Kazunori Kumagai: Tap Into the Light
Runs May 11-13.
Masks are required.
Downtown dance hub Gibney commissioned this world premiere by Bessie Award-winning Japanese tap master Kazunori Kumagai. Set to live music fused with a “rhythmic backdrop” of poetry by Maya Angelou and Kumagai, Tap Into the Light is an uplifting showcase for this hoofer-choreographer, who’s joined on stage by Max Pollack, Joseph Webb and other special guests.
—
Gibney Company
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs May 17-21. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Reconfigured in recent years as a versatile repertory company, Gibney returns to the Joyce with a notably diverse program both in terms of choreographer and geography. There’s the world premiere Ghost Town, which marks the US debut of Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond, a Vancouver-based team known for incorporating evocative video and lighting into their work. SARA is by Israel’s Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, and Bliss by Swedish dancer-choreographer Johan Inger is set to selections from Keith Jarrett’s legendary album The Köln Concert of solo piano improvisations.
—
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company: Spring Moves
NYU Skirball, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South in the West Village
Runs May 19-20.
Proof of full vaccination and booster required. Masks are optional.
—
Dada Masilo: The Sacrifice
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs May 23-28.
South African choreographer Dada Masilo has made a powerful impact with her signature style, fusing ballet, modern and African dance. This 2021 work for 11 dancers and four musicians is inspired by The Rite of Spring, specifically Pina Bausch’s earthy, ritualistic production. However, it jettisons the Stravinsky score in favor of original percussive African music and explores the concept of sacrifice through Tswana dance from Botswana.
—
Variations on Themes from Lost and Found: Scenes from a Life and other works by John Bernd and other works by John Bernd
Danspace Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 East 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Runs May 25-June 3.
Masks are required.
This ambitious celebration of the much-admired and influential downtown choreographer John Bernd, who died at age 35 from AIDS in 1988, earned great acclaim and a 2016 Bessie Award. Now it returns for a two-week run. Named after a trio of Bernd works, it’s a lovingly curated program featuring reconstructed dances, archival images and excerpts from his oeuvre.
—
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Runs May 26-29.
—
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 through May 28. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets to the Balanchine + Ratmansky I program.
—
The Jack Crystal Theatre at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, 111 Second Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets in the East Village
Runs May 31-June 2.
—
Gallim
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs May 31-June 4.
In 2007, Andrea Miller, then a young Juilliard alum who had performed with Israel’s Batsheva Ensemble, formed her company Gallim. Within a few years the dance world was taking notice. Her early works were fresh and primal; later she created impressive site-specific projects and interdisciplinary work, and began choreographing for troupes such as Ballet Hispánico and New York City Ballet. To celebrate the troupe’s 15th season, Miller brings Gallim to the Joyce for a program of new works set to a range of contemporary music, including songs by Sade and a score by Nicholas Jaar. Particularly intriguing: She joins forces with Brian “HallowDreamz” Henry, aka the “King of Krump,” to push the boundaries of their movement styles.
—
TDF MEMBERS: Go here to browse our latest discounts for dance, theatre and concerts.
Top image: New York Theatre Ballet in Song Before Spring, which is part of the company’s Legends & Visionaries program this month. Photo by Cherylynn Tsushima.
Susan Reiter covers dance for TDF Stages.