18 Dance Performances to See This Winter
Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Deep River. Photo by RJ Muna.
Catch New York City Ballet, Twyla Tharp and choreographers from around the world
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Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs through January 21. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Ronald K. Brown returns to The Joyce with his expressive dancers, who excel at his thrilling blend of African and Afro-Cuban dance, contemporary choreography and spoken word. The program includes Waiting Out the Dark, a quartet inspired by Brown’s experiences in Africa and Cuba, and Torch, which celebrates perseverance and self-determination.
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Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets in the East Village
Runs through January 22.
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Compagnie Hervé KOUBI: Sol Invictus
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs January 23-28.
This French troupe boasts an international roster of dancers who plunge into Hervé Koubi‘s kinetic and daring Sol Invictus (Invincible Sun). A fusion of hip-hop and classical dance set to a score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, this evening-length work explores how love can overcome division and darkness.
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New York City Ballet Winter Season
David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs January 23-March 3. At press time, a few New York City Ballet performances were available to TDF members. Log in and search for NYC Ballet.
The winter portion of New York City Ballet’s 75th anniversary season focuses on choreographers who have made vital contributions to the troupe’s repertory. There is an evening dedicated to cofounder George Balanchine, a tribute to Jerome Robbins, seminal works by Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck and Peter Martins, and a pair of world premieres: one by principal dancer Tiler Peck (February 1) set to music by Francis Poulenc, the other by Alexei Ratmansky (February 15), who returns to the company as artist in residence.
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Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues in Midtown East
Runs January 24-26.
Nihon buyo is a centuries-old Japanese style that encompasses traditional kabuki techniques. This two-part program opens with Toba-e, a comical story from the Edo period. In the second half, choreographer Hanayagi Genkuro fuses Eastern and Western traditions with a Japanese folk tale set to the insistent rhythms of Ravel’s Boléro. Note that the works are performed in Japanese with English supertitles, and a pre-performance lecture is offered each evening for free to ticket holders.
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Music From the Sole
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs January 30-February 4. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
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Molissa Fenley and Company: From the Light, Between the Lamps
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at Third Avenue in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Runs January 31-February 3.
Molissa Fenley, a feistily independent choreographer, presents two world premieres set to adventurous contemporary music. De La Lumière, Entre les Lampes consists of two duets set to a Philip Glass score performed live by pianist Michael Ferrera. Etruscan Matisse/Blake, a new quintet, has music by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Recent works, including a series of solos, round out the program.
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Andros Zins-Browne: duel H
Danspace Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 East 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues in the East Village
Runs February 1-3.
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NEW@Graham: Jamar Roberts
Martha Graham Studio Theater, 55 Bethune Street at Washington Street in the West Village
Runs February 6-7.
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PHILADANCO!
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 6-10.
For five decades, this vibrant Philadelphia-based troupe has been a major player on the contemporary dance scene, with its repertory and aesthetic showcasing Black choreographers and traditions. For its return to the Joyce, the company offers a forward-looking quartet of New York premieres by Christopher Rudd, Ray Mercer, Tommie-Waheed Evans and Nijawwon Matthews.
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Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street between Rivington and Delancey Streets on the Lower East Side
Runs February 8-9.
Solos and duets are the focus of this annual fest, founded by WHITE WAVE’s artistic director Young Soon Ki in 2016. The 30 participating choreographers hail from across the city, country and world, including dance-makers from Japan, Korea and Germany. An excellent showcase for both emerging and mid-career artists.
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The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 13-25.
Now in her eighties, legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp is still going strong as she brings her latest handpicked group of virtuosi to The Joyce for two weeks. There will be two world premieres: the solo Brel, a tribute to the beloved Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel, and The Ballet Master, a septet set to music by minimalist composer Simeon ten Holt intermixed with Vivaldi. Tharp is also reviving her 1975 quintet Ocean’s Motion danced to an array of Chuck Berry rock songs. A wonderful chance to enjoy early and late Tharp in one sitting.
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Jean Butler: What We Hold
Irish Arts Center, 726 Eleventh Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets in Midtown West
Runs February 14-March 3.
Jean Butler, a leading exponent and bold innovator of Irish dance, returns to the Irish Arts Center with an intergenerational cast of dancers for this site-specific work. Audiences follow the performers throughout the venue’s various spaces as they see what the form demands of its dancers up close and personal.
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Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: Goldberg Variations
NYU Skirball, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South in the West Village
Runs February 22-24.
Iconoclastic Belgian dancer-choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker has been forging her own inimitable path since the 1980s. She returns to New York with a solo performance set to Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations, using the intricate score, played live by pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, to guide her choreography.
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Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Deep River
Runs February 22-24.
Alonzo King, a mainstay of the San Francisco contemporary dance scene, brings his acclaimed company to Lincoln Center for the first time. The troupe will perform Deep River, which fuses dance with spiritual music from multiple faiths to celebrate humanity. King created the work with his frequent collaborator, composer-pianist Jason Moran along with Grammy-winning vocalist Lisa Fischer. Tickets are sold on a choose-what-you-pay basis starting at $5.
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Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street at Ninth Avenue in Midtown West
Runs February 22-25.
The 2024 edition of this annual fest is titled Leaps Beyond Bounds and brings together modern dance luminaries from different generations. Over four performances, the festival honors three veterans of the field—Ronald K. Brown, Celia Ipiotis and Joan Miller—and spotlights a wide range of younger choreographers.
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Sankofa Danzafro
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 27-March 3.
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New York Theatre Ballet: Legends & Visionaries
Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street between Madison and Park Avenues in Midtown East
Runs February 29-March 1.
Two world premieres are on the bill for New York Theatre Ballet’s latest installment of its Legends and Visionaries series. Gabrielle Lamb’s Minetta Creek, set to an original score by Pauline Kim Harris, is inspired by the history of Manhattan’s Minetta Lane. Marco Pelle’s Reflections, set to music by Federico Pelle, is part of the troupe’s Letters to my Father series. Merce Cunningham’s 1967 Scramble and a duet by James Sutton are also on the program.
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Susan Reiter covers dance for TDF Stages.