Melanie Greene
Brooklyn Studios for Dance
May 16 – 17
Greene will premiere the evening-length version of Sapphire, a work that has been brewing for the past three years.  Says Greene, “Sapphire continues to grow, deepen, ask new questions, and reveal new discoveries.” Greene’s Sapphire “…is a time traveling golden goddess moving through moments that police and celebrate the essence and experience of Black women in the United States. Told through an Afro-futuristic lens, this non-linear narrative displays humanity canvassed in an evolving constellation of identity,” notes the release. Find out more here
 
La Mama Moves! – Various Artists
La Mama
April 26 – May 26
The month long series, La Mama Moves! returns with an international lineup that includes Gruppo Nanou, Colleen Thomas, Mia Habib, Yin Mei Dance, Hari Krishnan/inDANCE, Bobbi Jene Smith, Dan Safer, Sin Cha Hong and Jesca Prudencio.  Find out more here
 
Simone Forti, Steve Paxton, and Yvonne Rainer
Danspace Project
May 16 – 17
In fall 2017, almost six decades after meeting, Forti, Paxton, and Rainer came together at Danspace Project for Tea for Three, an evening of improvisation and interaction – their first New York collaboration as a trio. Danspace Project welcome the trio back for two evenings of performative readings. Find out more here
 
Parsons Dance
The Joyce Theater
May 14 – 26
In their season dedicated to the late Paul Taylor, the company will stage Taylor’s Runes (1975) in which Artistic Director, David Parsons danced as a soloist in the Taylor Company.  Also on the program is the premiere of Trey McIntyre’s Eight Women, plus Parsons’ Nascimento and Caught.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
West End Theatre
May 16 – 19
As part of the “Soaking Wet Series” curated by David Parker, and his company The Bang Group, featured will be Ellis Wood, Erika Batdorf and Kate Digby.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
BAAD!
May 17
“The Boogie Down Dance Series,” BAAD!’s signature month-long celebration of dance, continues with Michiyaya Dance and Mx Oops (May 17),  “Dancin’ In The Bronx” with choreographers Tadashi Kato, John Kovach, Moriah Ella Mason, Cynthia Paniagua, Margia Shriti, and Rourou Ye. (May 18), and the screening of “Bronx Gothic” by writer and performer Okwui Okpokwasili (May 21).  Find out more here 
 
Gillian Walsh
Performance Space New York
May 17 – 19
Walsh’s Fame Notions, “…a meditation on the American dancer, is presented as part of the No Series—comprised of works that locate power and creativity in refusal,” according to the release. Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway”
May 19
Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with Andrea Kleine, Bessie McDonough-Thayer, and Leslie Satin in a “Shared evening” curated by Vicky Schick.  Find out more here
 
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Ellis Island
May 19
The National Park Service in partnership with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will present the Ellis Island Asian American Heritage Festival featuring works by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company plus, Guru Akhilandeshwari .V and Chetan Hebbar, Kindling Sindaw, Hālau Hula O Na Mele 'Āina O Hawaii' in traditional works.  Find out more here
 
SoloDuo Dance Festival
Dixon Place
May 19 – 20
For the 4th annual White Wave SoloDuo Dance Festival, featured will be 29 national and international choreographers including Qijundai Liu, Jo Davila, Jin-Wen Yu Dance, MVment, Tomomi Imai & Dancers, FUSE Dance Company, Corian Ellisor, VTDance/Vincent E. Thomas, Molly Huey and Olivia Nellis, Monica Farnè Dance Company, Park MiNa Dance Company, WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, and many more.  Find out more here

Various Artists
Mabou Mines
May 19 – 20
In Warm Line, created and performed by Hannah Mitchell and directed and choreographed by Lisa Fagan, “…a daughter attempts to rekindle the warmth and exuberance of her mother’s life. [In]…a foggy and laughter-rippled homage to a life lived in service of others and in search of connection…” notes the release.  Find out more here

Various Artists
Movement Research at Judson Church
May 20
Don’t miss this free, on-going, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress.  This week’s featured artists are: La Mujer Maravilla Project, ILIANA OLALDE , Inés Terra , Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya.  Find out more here

On Sunday, May 5th, Lindy Hop legend Norma Miller, known as the “Queen of Swing,” made her transition, at 99 years old. She passed away in her home in Fort Myers, Florida, this morning, surrounded by loved ones, including longtime friends from the United Kingdom and members of the Italian Swing Dance Society, a group with which she toured in Italy. Ms. Miller had been the last living member of the African-American troupe that introduced swing dance to Europe in the 1930s. She had worked tirelessly during her final years to preserve the dance and its history, traveling around the world and sharing her expertise with professionals and newcomers. She was known for her versatility in the entertainment industry, her sharp sense of humor, and her gutsy outlook on life. 



See the memorable "Hellzapoppin' clip here

See the video clip from TODAY show here

Read press release below and more here

Information for Norma Miller’s Homecoming
Date: May 24, 2019T
Time:  10:30am – 1:00pm
Place: Benta’s Funeral Home
630 St. Nicholas Ave.
New York, NY 10030
212-281-8851

Burial:  2:00pm
Place:  Woodlawn Cemetery
517 East 233rd St.
Bronx, NY 10470
718-920-0500

There will be Two panels and dancing to live music that night in Harlem
Place: Sugar Hill Children’s Museum
898 St. Nicholas Ave.
New York, NY10032
Time: 6:00 – doors open

7:00 panel #1
7:50 panel #2
9:00 – 12:00am        
Dancing to Live music and DJ

Price:    $20.00

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT)
Ailey Citigroup Theater
May 2 – 3
For its sixth season, and for their series entitled “Spirit of Now,” DBDT showcases three New York premieres plus iconic works of Elisa Monte & David Brown and Christopher L. Huggins. The premieres are: Juel D. Lane’s Ghost mix of modern, African, hip hop, and jazz styles “…tackles the haunting effects of holding onto something that no longer exists;” Tommie-Waheed Evans’ Bodies as Site of Faith and Protest draws on “…physical language through dance set to iconic speech excerpts by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Claude Alexander III, and Alexander’s Face what’s facing you! promises a “…soul-stirring exploration of how challenges to one’s spirit can make one victorious,” according to the release. Huggins’ dedicated Essence to the spirit of DBTS’s Founder Ann Williams and other women in his life who have “inspired me with their strength, passion, humor, commitment, and unconditional love.” Absolute Rule, Monte and Brown closes the program. Find out more here

La Mama Moves! – Various Artists
La Mama
April 26 – May 26
The month long series, La Mama Moves! returns with an international lineup that includes Gruppo Nanou, Colleen Thomas, Mia Habib, Yin Mei Dance, Hari Krishnan/inDANCE, Bobbi Jene Smith, Dan Safer, Sin Cha Hong and Jesca Prudencio.  Find out more here 

Mark DeGarmo Dance – Salon Performance Series – Various Artists 
May 2
Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center
For this 9th season of DeGarmo’s Salon Performance Series, where works-in-progress and original songs-in-progress are presented.  The Series continues with Gina Bonati and Ara Fitzgeral.  Find out more here

Jasmine Hearn and Tatyana Tenenbaum
Danspace Project
May 2 - 4
Choreographers Hearn and Tenenbaum, with Danspace Project Associate Curator Lydia Bell organized “collective terrain/s,” a collective research process on the relationship between voice and the body. Hearn premieres "you think you fancy a performance project using sound and movement from family, community, and elders, and Tenenbaum Tidal a collision of our future bodies with song," according to the release. Find out more here  

Jonathan González
Abrons Arts Center
May 2 – 4
González premieres Lucifer Landing II which “draws intersections between black life and current geopolitical movements to imagine lateralized intimacy on a damaged planet,” notes the release, at Abrons Arts Center.  Find out more here 

Gibney Dance Company
Gibney
May 2 – 4
The Company’s upcoming EMERGE program features new works by Chanel DaSilva, Bobbi Jene Smith and Micaela Taylor.  Find out more here 
 
Various Artists
Harlem Stage
May 2 – 4 & 9 – 11
The long-running series E-Moves which celebrates twenty years of dance, will feature works by FLUXX and Omari Mizrahi/Les Ballet Afrik, It’s Showtime NYC, Joseph Webb and Barédu Ahmed aka Long Arms (L.A.), plus pop-up performers Sun Kim, Cein Lockefeller, Soraya Lundy and Tweet Boogie. Find out more here
 
Raphael Xavier
New York Live Arts
May 3
In a studio showing, as part of New York Live Arts’ Live Feed creative residency and commissioning program, Xavier will present the new evening-length, Sassafrazz. Find out more here
 
Various Artists – “In Conversation with Merce”
NYU Skirball
May 3 – 4
This celebration of Cunningham’s legacy curated by Rashaun Mitchell, a former Merce Cunningham Dance Company dancer and a Trustee of the Merce Cunningham Trust, brings choreographers Moriah Evans, Mina Nishimura and Netta Yerushalmy together.  The choreographers will offer “…experiments that draw connections of lineage to the celebrated choreographer,” notes the release.  Additionally, select pieces by Cunningham will be performed by  Shayla Vie Jenkins and  Keith Sabado. Find out more here
 
Various Artists
BAAD!
May 4
“The Boogie Down Dance Series,” BAAD!’s signature month-long celebration of dance returns with an evening of club, house and street dance, followed by a dance party curated by Rokafella of Full Circle (May 4).  The series continues with Michiyaya Dance and Mx Oops (May 17),  “Dancin’ In The Bronx” with choreographers Tadashi Kato, John Kovach, Moriah Ella Mason, Cynthia Paniagua, Margia Shriti, and Rourou Ye. (May 18), and the screening of “Bronx Gothic” by writer and performer Okwui Okpokwasili (May 21).  Find out more here 
 
Various Artists
Roulette
May 6 – 8
In “Three Shared Evenings of Work: Hillary Clark/Oren Barnoy/Leslie Cuyjet,” choreographers Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith curate evenings of movement-based performance featuring work by performers/choreographers Clark, Barnoy and Cuyjet as part of Roulette’s ongoing “[DANCEROULETTE] New Movement Series, focused showcasing experimental work in dance and choreography. This three-day series features two performances per night, each with a unique approach to artistry, composition, and movement,” notes the release.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway”
May 5
Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with Allegra Fuller Snyder and Laurel Atwell in a “Shared evening” curated by Jon Kinzel.  Find out more here

Various Artists
Movement Research at Judson Church
May 6
Don’t miss this free, on-going, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress.  This week’s featured artists are: David Appel , MarinaLaRivera , Pele Bauch and Nora Sharp.  Find out more here

The Francesca Harper Project
Rubin museum
May 8
The Francesca Harper Project is featured this week as part of the Rubin Museum of Art's partnership with Pentacle, the site-specific series with works that reflect the theme of “Power – Within and Between Us”, which the Rubin will explore through exhibitions and programs all year long. Find out more here

For the fifth and final iteration of the “Bloodlines” series (April 11 - 13) at NYU Skirball, Stephen Petronio Company again honored the legacy of modern dance icon Merce Cunningham.  Also celebrated on this momentous evening was the lesser-known Rudy Perez a student of Cunningham who “…until recently [was] largely excluded from the dominant postmodern canon,” according to the release.  On the program was Cunningham’s Tread, Perez’s Coverage, both made in 1970, and Petronio’s premiere, American Landscapes.  Up to now, chronologically, the Company has presented Cunningham’s Rain Forest (1968), Trisha Brown’s Glacial Decoy (1979), Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A with Flags (1966/1970), Chair-Pillow (1969) and Diagonal (1963), an excerpt from Steve Paxton’s Goldberg Variations (1986), Anna Halprin’s The Courtesan and the Crone (1999), and last year, Cunningham’s Signals (1970). 

Each of the five evenings gave rise to remembering the icons and further cemented Pertronio’s commitment, but they also showed the ease in the dancer’s delivery of the Cunningham movement canon. Each was satisfying, but this fifth one is bitter sweet.  From the voyeuristic view in Tread through large standing fans that lined the front of the stage guarding and directing our view, to the quirky and fun configurations of bodies stacking and unstacking, and the playful stories each configuration brought, Trend was a good reminder of the different faces of Cunningham. Ernesto Breton in Perez’s Coverage followed and it was magical. The formula was a roll of masking tape to identify the movement space, a jumpsuit, a hardhat, minimalist movement topped off with a playlist of music and commentary as relevant in the 70s as it is now.  The program closed with Petronio’s American Landscapes. In oversized jumpsuits, Petronio makes an appearance in a playful duet (reading, waltzing, and kissing) with Martha Eddy who forecasts a bit of what’s to come at the end of their duet when she walks forward, slowly opens her arms wide, then exits.  Then it was time for all 10 dancers, and with a backdrop of poignant visuals, and Petronio’s emotion-driven movement stories, they take a deep-dive into a world of compassion.  They lift each other, hold on tight to each other, make room for each other while Robert Longo’s images show a world of war—forced to “take a knee,” gather to march for women’s rights, and a gaggle of other profound messages.  Towards the end, the dancers hold hands and form a line across the front, walk forward, and slowly opens their arms.

The dancers are: Bria Bacon, Taylor Boyland, Ernesto Breton, Jaqlin Medlock, Tess Montoya, Ryan Pliss, Nicholas Sciscione, Mac Twining and Megan Wright.  Brandon Collwes was a guest artist in Tread.  Music was performed live by members of Composers Inside Electronics (Seth Cluett, John Driscoll, Phil Edelstein,Cecilia Lopez, Michael J. Schumacher) on specific nights.  Staging for Tread was by Jennifer Goggans, and Sarah Swenson for Coverage.  Lighting design for Tread is by Richard Nelson, Joe Doran for Converge, and by Ken Tabachnick for American Landscapes.

At Martha Graham Company performances, Artistic Director Janet Eilber bring audiences closer to Graham.  Her very informal welcome at the foot of the stage gives the lay person the breakdown of the masterworks to be performed, and then she makes connections to newer works and why, or how they may, or may not relate to Graham’s dance-making legacy. For the Company’s Joyce Theater season (April 2 -14), the Graham masterworks on Program B, Secular Games/Men’s Section (1962) and El Penitente (1940) were well received, so too was Laurel Dalley Smith and Lloyd Mayor’s sweet  rendition of Lucinda Childs’ Histoire (1999).  A nice balance was the premiere of Pam Tanowitz’s Untitled (Souvenir), a daring reimagining of Graham’s signature movement language, complete with borrowed set pieces from Graham works and runway-style costumes by Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin of TOME, that complimented Tanowitz’s standout solos among the large cast. But in true form, the women of Graham commanded the stage in Graham’s Chronicle, the 1936 showstopper.  There are three sections: I. Spectre-1914 (Drums—Red Shroud—Lament) in which Xin Ying is transfixing as the lead; II. Steps in the Street (Devastation—Homelessness—Exile) when a growing army of eleven dancers, led by Anne Souder (4/13) enter backwards, and in many entrance and exits throw their bodies forward and back, stomp the floor or lift their chests with outreached arms; and then in III. Prelude to Action (Unity—Pledge to the Future) Ying returns then beckons the others and together, repeating portions of the other sections, they powerfully, and in true dramatic Graham fashion, their movement grew to a crescendo to close the program.

The Graham dancers are: Peiju Chien-Pott, Lloyd Knight, Ben Schultz, Xin Ying, Natasha M. Diamond-Walker, Charlotte Landreau, Mayor, Lorenzo Pagano, Souder, So Young An, Smith, Jacob Larsen, Marzia Memoli, Anne O’Donnell, Leslie Andrea Williams, Alyssa Cebulski, Alessio Crognale and Cara McManus.

"Every Body Move was created to encourage everyone to connect to their body because I believe there's power in personal movement. Movements of the African Diaspora tell stories about the past, help us to live in the present, and provide a path to the future. To enter into the 4th year of this event is both motivating and humbling. I can't wait for the community to experience this,"

- Camille A. Brown

Camille A. Brown has partnered with several dance teachers with expertise in social dance forms to create this FREE, inter-generational event, which includes a day of free workshops facilitated by Camille A. Brown and renowned teachers!

Hip Hop Dance Party Moves-
Quilian Matthew 
African Dance- Catherine Foster 
For centuries the evolution of African dance, history, and culture have all played an intricate role in how communities are shaped in the world. Come experience a journey through modern and traditional dance styles of the African Diaspora while creating our very own community right on the dance floor!

40s Dance
Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards

Locking
Adesola Osakalumi
This class will explore the freedom, style and athletic energy of this dynamic style, created during the late 60s/early 70s by Don Campbell and prominently featured on Soul Train. Incorporating social dances, "the lock", points, lots of improvisation and personality in the class, "we be a funky, good time!"

Social Dance for Social Change
Maleek Washington & Tim Edwards
This class will look at the power of social dance through the ages past and
present. Getting an understanding of its lineage, its importance and its purpose through movement.

Hip Hop and African Culture Nuances
Duane Lee Holland Jr.
This class will utilize the style of House, as the foundation to crafting
a combination. Within the process we will reinforce history and terminology of Hip-Hop culture and practice.

Black Men Moving 
Desmond Seymour
"Dance and Distribute" is an exercise where we combine expressions from individuals to groups into one coherent physical expression. Movement from micro to macro!

Outside of the dance workshops, attendees will be able to participate in an interactive lunch circle discussion with Dance Professor, Jasmine Thompson, which provides a safe space for everyone to discuss what they have learned at 
Every Body Move!

REGISTER HERE