14th Street Y Theatre
January 6-7
Shamel Pitts, a former company member of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, comes home with his first solo work BLACK BOX: Little Black Book Of RED. Conceived, choreographed and performed by Pitts, the New York premiere “…is an enigmatic performance/installation…Buoyed by [Pitts’] trademark expressive movement… [which]… employs spoken word, evocative lighting, and video to construct a personal, poetic narrative about the search for identity and striving for survival amidst impermanence. Performed in a confined space in nearly pitch-black darkness, the work features recordings of Pitts’ ruminations jotted down during his travels with Batsheva Dance Company. Obliquely referencing the flight data recorder, BLACK BOX transcends traditional travel journal format, becoming instead a record of – in a nod to Nina Simone – as a “young, gifted and Black” artist, thriving in constant motion,” notes the release. Find out more here
Nocha Flamenca
December 26 – January 28
West Park Presbyterian Church
The renowned flamenco company, Nocha Flamenca where live music and principle dancer Soledad Barrio is a staple returns with premieres and the critically acclaimed works. La Ronde (Dec 26 – Jan 7) inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 play, “La Ronde” in a series of duets that explores desire, humiliation and loneliness; and Creación following the life-journey of two female dancers in a fusion of Flamenco and hip-hop. Select performances of Creación will feature hip-hop legend TweetBoogie who alternates the role with Nubian Néné, and Antigona Artistic Director Martín Santangelo’s adaptation of Sophocles’ “Antigone” (January 10 – 28). Find out more here
American Dance Platform
The Joyce Theater
January 3 – 8
For the second annual American Dance Platform, this year’s festival, curated by Alicia B. Adams, includes performances by Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, RAWdance, Ragamala Dance Company, Company | E, Lucky Plush Productions, Davalois Fearon Dance, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and CONTRA-TIEMPO. Find out more here
Coil 2017 Festival – Various Artists
Various Venues
January 3 – 22
Performance Space 122’s annual performance festival, Coil, returns for its twelfth edition with 13 individual events. “The festival explores the constant vitality of live performance in New York City through contemporary artists from diverse genres, cultures and perspectives…[with]…work created locally, across the U.S., and around the world…” according to the release. Some artists are: Australian choreographers Anthony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe (January 4-8); Pavel Zuštiak (January 5-8); Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith (January 7-12); Emily Johnson (January 8) and more. Find out more here
The China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater
The David Koch Theater
January 5 – 8
Under direction and choreography by Kong Dexin, a 77th-generation descendant of Confucius, will present the new dance drama, Confucius “…a new dance which tells the story of the legendary scholar's journey through the kingdoms of Zhou Dynasty China, and his quest to instill codes of ethics, honor, and benevolence among the empire's rulers,” according to the release. Find out more here
American Realness
Various Venues
January 5 – 12
Founded, directed and curated by Thomas Benjamin Snapp Pryor, now in a new home and under new leadership at Gibney Dance, American Realness returns for its eight season. In eight days of programming there are three categories to explore: Performance, Exhibition and Process. Some featured artists are Kimberly Bartosik (1/6 - 7), Will Rawls (1/5 – 10), Ni’Ja Whitson (1/7- 9), Trajal Harrell (1/6 – 7), Cynthia Oliver (1/7), Juliana F. May (1/7 – 10) and more. Find out more here and here
Urban Bush Women
Shapeshifter Lab | Brooklyn
January 6 – 9
SCAT!: A Work-In-Progress Showing
Set in a fictional jazz club, SCAT! is a multi-disciplinary love story of two people making their way during the Great Migration through song, dance and story-telling. It is a powerful story of the Zollar family and what happens when dreams encounter the realities of American life in the 40’s & 50’s. Find out more here
Various Artists
Gibney Dance
January 8
“In the Works” featuring informal showings from Gibney Dance’s Dance in Process (DiP) resident artists (Michelle Boulé, Larissa Velez-Jackson, Antonio Ramos and Yaniro Castro), Meredith Boggia Productions (Anna Sperber, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Katie Workum, Björn Säfsten and iele paloumpis), plus an excerpted presentation of Gina Gibney’s recent premiere Folding In, performed by Gibney Dance Company. Find out more here
Various Artists
Movement Research at the Judson Church
January 9
Don’t miss this free, ongoing, Monday night performance series of experimentation and works-in-progress. This week’s featured are Michelle Boulé, Ursula Eagly, Kota Yamazaki/Fluid huh-hug and Abigail Levine and Cleek Shrey. Find out more here
Some APAP SHOWCASES:
Lumberyard @ New York Live Arts - HERE
Live Artery @ New York Live Arts - HERE
Sidra Bell - RSVP [email protected]
Pentacle - HERE
Peridance - HERE
Booking Dance - HERE
Sheffield Global Arts Management - HERE