Tag Archives: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

LEANING INTO THE UNKNOWN: AN ARTIST’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Who: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Mignolo Dance, Christy E. O’Connor, Dimitri Reyes, Lisa Campbell
What: Livestream broadcast
Where: Ramapo College Berrie Center YouTube channel
When: Saturday, September 19 & 26, free (donations accepted for the Contemporary Arts Fund or the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund through the Ramapo Foundation), 8:00
Why: The New Jersey arts community responds to the pandemic lockdown with “Leaning into the Unknown,“ two evenings of dance, spoken word, and performance art hosted by Ramapo College’s Berrie Center. On September 19 at 8:00, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company of Fort Lee will perform Ripple Effect, Desk and I, Phase II, Emissary of Light, and Tomorrow, along with poet Marina Carreira of Union and performance artist Christy E. O’Connor of Middletown. The lineup for September 26 features Mignolo Dance of Metuchen, spoken word artist Dimitri Reyes of Kearny, and the Moving Architects of Montclair. Each evening will conclude with a live Q&A with the artists, moderated by Berrie Center director Lisa Campbell. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the Contemporary Arts Fund or the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund through the Ramapo Foundation.

LUNAR NEW YEAR 4716: THE YEAR OF THE DOG

china institute new year family festival

Sara D. Roosevelt Park and other locations
East Houston St. between Forsythe & Chrystie Sts.
February 16-25
www.betterchinatown.com
www.explorechinatown.com

Gōng xǐ fā cái! New York City is ready to celebrate the Year of the Dog, or, more specifically, the Earth Dog, this month with special events all over town. People born in the Year of the Dog are honest, loyal, reliable, and responsible. Below are some of the highlights happening here in the five boroughs during the next several weeks of Chinese New Year.

Friday, February 16
Lunar New Year for Kids, with storytelling, crafts, snacks, games, and a Chinese acrobat, China Institute, 40 Rector St., 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival, Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Grand Street at Chrystie St., free, 11:00 am – 3:30 pm

Saturday, February 17
Lunar New Year Family Festival, with “The Mane Event: A Lion Dance Performance” by the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, “Sounds of the New Year” featuring the pipa and the gong, “Whirling, Twirling Ribbons: A Ribbon Dance Workshop” with Mei-Yin Ng, folk arts, food sampling, storytelling, a gallery hunt, lion mask and paper dog workshops, and more, Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre St., $12, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Lunar New Year Celebration, with family-friendly arts and crafts, a lion dance, a paper-cutting workshop, zodiac face painting (for an additional fee), a taekwondo demonstration, a plant sale, and live performances, Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., free, 12 noon – 4:00

Lunar New Year, with a lion dance, Shaolin Kung Fu demonstrations, Chinese drumming, Chinese acrobatics, traditional Chinese music and dance, and master of ceremonies Cary Chow, New York Chinese Cultural Center at Arts Brookfield, 230 Vesey St., free, 2:00 – 3:15

Tuesday, February 20
Lunar New Year Concert, with the New York Philharmonic performing works by Li Huanzhi, Andy Akiho, Beethoven, and more, with Ping-Pong players Ariel Hsing and Michael Landers, Elizabeth Zeltser on violin, David Cossin on percussion, Serena Wang on piano, Alex Rosen on bass, sopranos Heather Phillips and Vanessa Vasquez, mezzo-soprano Sarah Mesko, tenors Marco Cammarota and Chad Johnson, and the Farmers’ Chorus of the Yunnan Province, conducted by Long Yu, David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, $35-$110, 7:30

Saturday, February 24
Lunar New Year Celebration 4716: Year of the Dog, with costume contest, riddles, martial arts, live music and dance, arts and crafts, games, and more, P.S.310, 942 62nd St., free, 11:00 am – 2:30

Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Dog, featuring a Japanese shakuhachi soloist, Balinese music by Gamelan Dharma Swara, the Met Quartet in Residence: Aizuri Quartet playing “Japan Across the World,” fan painting, “Put Your Stamp on It” with Kam Mak, “Double Dog Dare You!,” a fire-breathing dragon mask, good luck puzzles, Wayang: Indonesian shadow puppet making, zodiac puppets, a hand drum and fan dance workshop, Wu-Wo tea ceremony and bubble tea gatherings, a hand-pulled noodle demonstration, a “What Your Nose Knows” scent tour, “My Chinatown” with Kam Mak, and more, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St., free with suggested museum admission, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday, February 25
Chinese New Year Family Festival, with workshops, dumpling making, storytelling, lion dance, live music, a puppet show, and more, workshops $5-$20, party and performance $10-$20, China Institute, 40 Rector St., 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Nineteenth annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival, with cultural booths in the park and a parade with floats, antique cars, live performances, and much more from China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and other nations, Chinatown, Sara D. Roosevelt Park, and Columbus Park, free, 1:00

Lunar New Year Celebration, with live performance and paper-cutting workshop sponsored by the New York Chinese Cultural Center, Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terr., $8, 2:00 – 4:00

BATTERY DANCE FESTIVAL 2016

sead company bodhi project will be making its U.S. debut at thirty-fifth annual free Battery Dance Festival (photo by Bernhard Müller)

Salzburg’s SEAD Company Bodhi Project will be making its U.S. debut at thirty-fifth annual free Battery Dance Festival (photo by Bernhard Müller)

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City
20 Battery Pl.
August 14-20, free
batterydance.org

The thirty-fifth annual Battery Dance Festival takes place August 14 to 20, featuring more than thirty companies from around the world. Formerly known as the Downtown Dance Festival, the event is hosted by the New York City-based Battery Dance, which was founded by artistic director Jonathan Hollander in 1976. The festival will begin with a tribute to Iraqi dancer Adel Euro, who had been training with Battery Dance online before being killed in the July 3 suicide bombing in Karrada that took more than three hundred innocent lives; three of his Iraqi colleagues, refugees in America, will perform in his honor. Sunday’s lineup also includes Florida Dance Theatre, Joshua Beamish/Move: The Company, Razvan Stoian, XAOC Contemporary Ballet, and the U.S. debut of Zeynep Tanbay Dance Project from Istanbul. On Monday, the “Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance” consists of Avijit Das, Battery Dance, Carolina Prada, Pt. Krishan Mohan Mishra, Surabhi Bharadwaj, Sooraj Subramaniam, and Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts. Tuesday brings together De Funes Dance, Jennifer Muller / The Works, Kilowatt Dance Theater, Shawnbibledanceco, and Zeynep Tanbay Dance Project. Wednesday features FJK Dance, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Obika Dance Projects, Steps Repertory Ensemble, and Te Ao Mana. On August 18, taking the stage will be DoubleTake Dance, the Martha Graham School, Maxine Steinman & Dancers, Robin Aren/TRAC, SEAD Company Bodhi Project from Salzburg making its U.S. debut, and Y + Y Dance. Friday comprises Amy Marshall Dance Company, Ballet Inc., Battery Dance, Buglisi Dance Theatre, Lori Belilove & the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, and Trainor Dance. The festival concludes indoors on August 20 at the Schimmel Center at Pace University with performances by Battery Dance, SEAD Comapany Bodhi Project, and Unnath H.R., along with a reception. In addition, there will be free workshops at 10:30 am on August 15 with Zeynep Tanbay Dance Project, August 16 with Razvan Stoian, August 18 with Battery Dance, and August 19 with SEAD Company Bodhi Project; advance RSVP is needed here.

FREE SUMMER DANCE 2016

Eiko will continue her BODY IN PLACES sojourn at the River to River Festival this summer (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Eiko will continue her BODY IN PLACES sojourn at the River to River Festival this summer (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The free summer dance season is upon us, with presentations in parks all around the city, including participatory programs in addition to companies from across the globe and site-specific projects by local favorites. Bryant Park will be hosting several dance series, while Central Park (and others) has SummerStage and Prospect Park has Celebrate Brooklyn! River to River boasts the most exciting lineup, but you need to reserve your free space in advance. There will also be a handful of cool performances in Socrates Sculpture Park and Hudson River Park as well as at Lincoln Center. You’ll find those and other festivals below; more information will be added as it becomes available.

Wednesday, June 1
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Cuban Salsa, with Los Hacheros, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Saturday, June 4, through Saturday, September 24
Bryant Park Moves with Limon Dance, northeast corner of lawn, Bryant Park, 10:00 am

Wednesday, June 8
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Bachata, with Voz a Voz, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Wednesday, June 15
Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Forro, with Eliano Braz the Forro Fidler, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Wednesday, June 15, and Thursday, June 16
Hudson River Dance Festival: Stephen Petronio Company, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers, 6:30

Thursday, June 16
River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 7:00

Dance Heginbotham will perform a site specific LMCC commission as part of River to River Festival (photo by Amber Star Merkens)

Dance Heginbotham will perform a site specific LMCC commission as part of River to River Festival (photo by Amber Star Merkens)

Friday, June 17
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with Alia Kache/Kachal Dance, BARKIN/SELISSEN PROJECT, and LaneCoArts, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

River to River Festival: Dance Heginbotham, site-specific commission set to Erno Dohnanyi’s Serenade in C Major for String Trio, solo guitar music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the “Fandango” from Luigi Boccherini’s Quintette No. 4 in G Major, III, Winter Garden, Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St., 7:00

Saturday, June 18
SummerStage: Dance on the Lawn, preshow Master Class with Calvin Wiley, Red Hook Park, 7:00

Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19
River to River Festival: A Body in Places, installation by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 12 noon – 4:00 pm

River to River Festival: When I Return Who Will Receive Me, by Okwui Okpokwasili, Fort Jay Magazine, Governors Island, 1:30

River to River Festival: Dance Heginbotham, site-specific commission set to Erno Dohnanyi’s Serenade in C Major for String Trio, solo guitar music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the “Fandango” from Luigi Boccherini’s Quintette No. 4 in G Major, III, Winter Garden, Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St., 5:00

Sunday, June 19
River to River Festival: A Body on Governors Island, by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 4:30

Monday, June 20
River to River Festival: Riff This, Riff That, by Ephrat Asherie Dance, 33 Maiden Lane, 1:00 & 3:00

River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 5:00

Tuesday, June 21
River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 1:00

River to River Festival: Riff This, Riff That, by Ephrat Asherie Dance, 33 Maiden Lane, 1:00 & 3:00

River to River Festival: A Body on Wall Street, by Eiko Otake, Wall & Broad Sts., 5:00

River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 7:00

Wednesday, June 22
River to River Festival: A Body on Wall Street, by Eiko Otake, Wall & Broad Sts., 2:00

River to River Festival: The Planet-Eaters: Seconds, by Will Rawls, Diker Pavilion, National Museum of the American Indian, 4:00

Bryant Park Presents Dance Party: Latin Festival, with Grupo Arcano, Pete Nater & Associates, and the New Swing Sextet, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

River to River Festival: R2R Living Rooms, South Street Seaport, 8:30

Thursday, June 23
River to River Festival: Chimatek: Chimacloud Control Center, by Saya Woolfalk, installation on display June 16-26, Fulton Center, 5:00

Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25
River to River Festival: The Set Up: Kapila Venu, by Wally Cardona, Jennifer Lacey, and Jonathan Bepler, Melville Gallery, South Street Seaport Museum, 9:00

(photo by Ian Douglas)

Jillian Peña’s PANOPTICON takes place at Federal Hall as part of River to River Festival (photo by Ian Douglas)

Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24
River to River Festival: Panopticon, by Jillian Peña, Federal Hall, 8:00

Friday, June 24
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with 227 Dance Project, Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and Amy Marshall Dance Company, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

Saturday, June 25
River to River Festival: A Body in Places, installation by Eiko Otake, Nolan Park, Governors Island, 12 noon – 4:00 pm

SummerStage: Brooklyn Dance Festival, with preshow master class with Mr. Kid, Betsy Head Park, 7:00

Celebrate Brooklyn! Philadanco, Prospect Park Bandshell, 8:00

River to River Festival: The Set Up: Kapila Venu, by Wally Cardona, Jennifer Lacey, and Jonathan Bepler, Melville Gallery, South Street Seaport Museum, 8:00

Sunday, June 26
River to River Festival: Panopticon, by Jillian Peña, Federal Hall, 1:00

River to River Festival: An Epilogue for Otro Teatro: True Love, by Luciana Achugar, Front St. between Beekman St. & Peck Slip, 3:00

SummerStage: Christian Cultural Center C3 Choir, Mr. Reed, Boots Step Team, DJ Styff, Betsy Head Park, 4:00

River to River Festival: R2R Living Rooms, South Street Seaport, 6:00

Wednesday, June 29
SummerStage: Screening of A Ballerina’s Tale (Nelson George, 2015), with Jeremy McQueen’s Black Iris Project and preshow panel discussion, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Friday, July 1
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with WILLYLAURY&CO., BARE Dance Company, and Sean Curran Company, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

SummerStage: Maimouna Keita Dance Company, with preshow master class, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00

Saturday, July 2
Hot Summer Nights! On Stage at Kingsborough: The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra with special guest Lindy Hoppers from the Syncopated City Dance Company, Kingsborough Lighthouse Bandshell, 8:00

Thursday, July 7
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Foley Square, 5:30

Friday, July 8
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, with Black Boys Dance Too, Adam Barrauch / Anatomiae Occultii, and Cherlyn Lavagnino Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

Saturday, July 9
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Saturday, July 16
Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Sunday, July 17
SummerStage: Legacy Women, Recess Monkey, Music with a Message, Double Dutch Dreamz, St. Mary’s Park, 4:00

Thursday, July 21
Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Fort Greene Park, 7:30

Celebrate Brooklyn! Camille A. Brown & Dancers: Black Girl: Linguistic Play, Brandee Younger, Prospect Park Bandshell, 7:30

Saturday, July 23
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day: Dance Theatre of Harlem Company and School, Josie Robertson Plaza, 1:00

Jamaica Dance Festival: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performs Raindrops, On the River of Dreams, Mirage, Coin Stick Dance, The Flying Goddesses, and Song of the Water Lily, Rufus King Park, 6:45

Gibney dance-mobile: Excerpts of Gina Gibney’s Duet, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Hot Summer Nights! On Stage at Kingsborough: Svetlana & the Delancey Six, with special guest tap star Michela Marino Lerman, Kingsborough Lighthouse Bandshell, 8:00

Sunday, July 24
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Heritage Sunday Global Beat of the Bronx: From Bambara to Breakbeats, with Bambara Drum and Dance Ensemble, Bombazo Dance Company, Chief Joseph Chatoyer Dance Company, and Full Circle Souljahs, Hearst Plaza, 1:00

Wednesday, July 27
SummerStage: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Carolyn Dorfman, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Thursday, July 28
Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Hudson River Park’s 14th Street Park, time TBA

Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Maurice Hines Tappin’ Thru Life, Michael Mwenso & the Shakes, Damrosch Park, 7:30

Friday, July 29
Suite Summer Festival: Program I, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, 6:00

Young Dancemakers Company will perform an excerpt by Robert Battle in Socrates Sculpture Park on July 30

Young Dancemakers Company will perform an excerpt by Robert Battle in Socrates Sculpture Park on July 30

Saturday, July 30
Young Dancemakers Company, excerpt by Robert Battle, Socrates Sculpture Park, dancing the art at 2:00, performance at 2:30

Gibney dance-mobile — Amy Miller + Cumbe: Center for African and Diaspora Dance, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Suite Summer Festival: Program II, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, 3:00

Sunday, July 31
Suite Summer Festival, In-Sight Dance, Socrates Sculpture Park, Program I at 3:00, Program II at 4:00

SummerStage: Marc Cary: The Harlem Jam Sessions, Joseph Webb: Dancing Buddhas, WBGO Kids Jazz with Brianna Thomas & the Jazz Travelers, Queensbridge Park, 4:00

Wednesday, August 3
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, and Manhattan Camerata: Tango Fado Project featuring Nathalie Pires, Damrosch Park, 7:00

Saturday, August 6
SummerStage: Complexions Contemporary Ballet, preshow master class with Jamel Gaines, Clove Lakes Park, 7:00

Wednesday, August 10
SummerStage: Tamar-kali with ASE Dance Theatre Collective, Nathan Trice Rituals, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 8:00

Saturday, August 13
SummerStage: Carolyn Dorfman, preshow master class with Theresa Lavington, East River Park, 7:00

Sunday, August 14, to Friday, August 19
Battery Dance presents the Battery Dance Festival, Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, 6:30

Thursday, August 18
SummerStage: Tamar-kali with ASE Dance Collective, preshow master class with Calvin Wiley, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00

Friday, August 19
SummerStage: Nathan Trice Rituals, Harlem School of the Arts Young Dance Alliance, preshow master class with Calvin Wiley, Marcus Garvey Park, 7:00

Saturday, August 20
Battery Dance presents the Battery Dance Festival, closing event and reception, the Schimmel Center at Pace University, free with advance RSVP, 6:00

LUNAR NEW YEAR 4713: THE YEAR OF THE RAM (or GOAT or SHEEP)

year of the ram

Sara D. Roosevelt Park and other locations
East Houston St. between Forsythe & Chrystie Sts.
February 19-28, free – $115
www.betterchinatown.com
www.explorechinatown.com

Gōng xǐ fā cái! New York City is ready to celebrate the Year of the Wood Goat (aka the Year of the Ram and the Year of the Sheep) this month with special events all over town, in all five boroughs. The sixteenth New Year Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival will explode in and around Sara D. Roosevelt Park on February 19 at 11:00 am, with live music and dance, speeches by politicians, drum groups, lion, dragon, and unicorn dancers making their way through local businesses, and more than half a million rounds of firecrackers warding off evil spirits and welcoming in a prosperous new year. The Flushing Lunar New Year Parade takes place February 21 at 10:00; following the parade, there will be a family festival at the Queens Botanical Garden ($2-$4, 1:00 – 4:00). Also on February 21 ($5-$12, 1:00 – 4:00), Asia Society will present its annual Family Day: Moon over Manhattan, featuring lion dance and kung-fu demonstrations, live music, and arts and crafts. The New York Chinese Cultural Center will present a Lunar New Year program with folk dances, paper cutting, calligraphy, and lion dances at the Bronx Museum of the Arts on February 21 (free, 2:00 – 4:00). One of our favorite restaurants, Xi’an Famous Foods, will be hosting a culinary Lunar New Year concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 21 with MC Jin, Wanting Qu, Clara C, Esther & Lara Veronin, the Shanghai Restoration Project, and Mree, benefiting Apex for Youth ($50-$165, 6:00). There will be a performance by Chinese Theater Works, a zodiac-themed scavenger hunt, and sheep meet-and-greets at the Prospect Park Zoo February 21-22 ($6-$8). The Museum of Chinese in America will give Lunar New Year walking tours on February 21-22 ($8-$15, 11:00 and 1:00), followed on February 28 ($10, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm) by its Lunar New Year Family Festival, with lion dances and workshops, food tastings and demonstrations, storytelling, calligraphy, balloon animals, arts and crafts, and the Red Silk Dancers. The sixteenth annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade and Festival will wind its way through Chinatown, Sara D. Roosevelt Park, and Columbus Park on February 22 starting at 1:00, with cultural booths in the park and a parade with floats, antique cars, live performances, and much more from China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and other nations.

year of the goat

On February 22 (free – $25, 11:00 – 3:00), the China Institute’s Chinese New Year Family Celebration boasts lion dance and kung-fu performances, gallery tours with receptions, and dumpling and lantern workshops. Dr. Hsing-Lih Chou has curated a Lunar New Year Dance Sampler at Flushing Town Hall on February 22 (free, 2:00). The New York Philharmonic gets into the party spirit with Yo-Yo Ma leading a Chinese New Year musical evening on February 24 at Avery Fisher Hall ($45-$115, 7:30); the program includes the U.S. premiere of Zhao Lin’s Duo concerto for cello, sheng, and orchestra, conducted by Long Yu. Earlier that day, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and students from the National Dance Institute will perform traditional dances on Josie Robertson Plaza (free, 4:30). The annual Lunar New Year Festival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is set for February 28 (free with suggested museum admission, 12 noon – 5:00), with puppet shows, martial arts demonstrations, dances, storytelling, tea presentations and ceremonies in the Astor Chinese Garden Court, and activities inspired by the exhibition “The Art of the Chinese Album.” And the Queens Zoo will honor the goat/ram/sheep February 28 – March 1 with scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, live live performances, calligraphy workshops, and meet-the-sheep programs.

ADGFEST 2014

adgfest 2014

AMERICAN DANCE GUILD PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL 2014
The Ailey Citigroup Theater
The Joan Weill Center for Dance
405 West 55th St. at Ninth Ave.
December 4-7, $20-$30
800-838-3006 ext1
www.americandanceguild.org

The American Dance Guild’s Annual Performance Festival is set for December 4-7 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, with thirty-three artists and companies performing, including special tributes to Philadanco founder Joan Myers Brown, Douglas Dunn, and Bill Evans. “The American Dance Guild annual festival now holds a unique position as both a promoter of the new and preserver of the living history of modern dance as an art form,” ADG president Gloria McLean said in a statement. The four-day event begins on December 4 with an awards ceremony and works presented by Brown with Hope Boykin, Dunn (Near Miss), Evans (the solo Three Preludes), John Pennington (the New York City premiere of Daniel Nagrin’s solo Man of Action), Sun Ock Lee, Sarah Skaggs, Jody Oberfelder, Chad Michael Hall, Catherine Gallant, and Eye on Dance/Celia Ipiotis, followed by a gala. Friday night brings together Brown (Ronald K. Brown’s Gatekeepers), Juri Nishio, Kyla Barkin, McLean, Dana Tai Burgess, Loretta Fois & Sabatino Verlezza, Aaron Atkins, Zach Ingram, and Sue Bernhard. Taking the stage Saturday night will be Dunn, Amy Pivar, Indah M. Walsh, Chien Ying Wang & Paul Ocampo, Gesel Mason (dancing Donald McKayle’s Saturday’s Child), Maxine Steinman, Mary Seidman, and Azul Dance Theater. ADGFEST 2014 concludes Sunday night with Bill Evans Dance Company (Colony), Tina Croll, Elizabeth Shea, Kanon Sapp, Janet Charleston performing a solo created for her by Dunn, Jin Ju Song-Begin, Ara Fitzgerald & Clare Byrne, and Nai Ni Chen Dance Company.

DANCENOW JOE’S PUB FESTIVAL

Irish dancer and choreographer Luke Murphy is among the forty participants in this year’s DanceNow festival at Joe’s Pub (photo by John Altdorfer)

Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St. by Astor Pl.
September 5-8, $15-$20, 7:00
212-539-8778
www.joespub.com

The tenth annual DanceNOW presentation at Joe’s Pub will take place at the tiny, intimate downtown theater September 5-8, with all tickets a mere $15 in advance and $20 at the door. One of the primary elements that makes this series different from other fall dance festivals is that this event is competitive; each night, a weeklong residency on a Pennsylvania farm will be awarded by the audience to one of the companies, and one company from the entire run will win a $1,000 creative development stipend, a weeklong residency, and a twenty-hour space grant at the Gibney Dance Center, selected by festival producers and advisers. Following the festival’s “less is more” credo, each performance is limited to no more than five minutes in which to make an artistic statement. The lineup is wide-ranging, offering dance fans a little bit of everything every night. Wednesday’s rosters features Adam Barruch Dance, binbinFactory/satoshi haga & rie fukuzawa, Maura Nguyen Donohue/inmixed company, Marjani Forté, Shannon Hummel/Cora Dance, Donnell Oakley, Rainwater Dances/Nellie Rainwater, Erika Randall, and RG Dance Projects – Rubén Graciani, while Thursday consists of alex|xan: the Median Movement, the Anata Project/Claudia Anata Hubiak, Janis Brenner & Dancers, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Luke Murphy, Portables/Claire Porter, Molly Shanahan, Bryan Strimpel, Makiko Tamura/Small Apple co., and Simone Sobers Dance. Friday night brings together Jane Comfort & Company, the DASH/Gregory Dolbashian, SARA du jour, Erica Essner Performance Co-Op, the Good to Go Girls, Jamal Jackson Dance Company, Sara Joel, Kawamura the 3rd, Amy Larimer, LOVE|FORTÉ A COLLECTIVE, and Amber Sloan, with Saturday night anchored by the Bang Group, Christal Brown/INSPIRIT, Loni Landan, Deborah Lohse, Khaleah Londons/LAYERS, MADboots dance co., Christopher K. Morgan & Artists, TAKE Dance, and Megan Williams. An encore performance on September 15 will feature the audience’s top ten favorites from all four programs.