12 Dance Performances to See This Summer—Four Are FREE
Catch a ballet fest curated by Misty Copeland, a spectacle inspired by ‘Kill Bill,’ the Battery Dance Festival and more
Dazzling ballet performances curated by the legendary Misty Copeland and French dance star Hugo Marchand. A burlesque spectacular inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies. And FREE outdoor offerings in Queens, Battery Park and at Lincoln Center. These are some of the fantastic dance performances you can see in July and August—and remember, a few of last month’s picks are still going, including Pilobolus at The Joyce through July 12 and American Ballet Theatre at Lincoln Center through July 18.
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Queensboro Dance Festival
Various locations throughout Queens
Runs through August 15. FREE.
Every summer, the Queensboro Dance Festival presents performances in parks and plazas across the borough. All are FREE and some include complimentary pre-show dance workshops. We’re particularly excited about the lineups on July 14 at Frank D. O’Connor Playground in Elmhurst, July 24 at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park and August 8 at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City. But it’s probably best to peruse the calendar to see which performances work best for your schedule. While seating is first come, first served, you can RSVP in advance to be notified of any weather cancelations.
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Mark Morris Dance Group: Dances to American Music
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs July 14-July 25.
Venerable choreographer Mark Morris presents his splendid ensemble of dancers and instrumentalists in a trio of programs that explore his enduring love of American music. Soul of America is devoted to classic jazz; American Heartbeat celebrates early country recordings and American Mavericks features work by avant-garde composers Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison.
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New Victory Dance Festival
New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Midtown West
Runs July 15, 22 and 29.
An ideal (and inexpensive, just $15!) way to introduce kids to the art form, the New Victory Dance Festival is curated by the institution’s knowledgeable teaching artists specifically for families. Each program features three diverse companies and is followed by a post-show talkback with the artists. On July 15, catch Urban Bush Women, Shamel Pitts and the drag ballerinas of the comedic Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. On July 22, see Ballet Hispánico’s youth company, Trisha Brown Dance Company and Umami Playground Dance Inc. The series closes on July 29 with Michael Mao Dance, Gibney Company and EMERGE125.
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Shen Wei Dance Arts and Guangdong Modern Dance Company: MindScape
Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center, 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs July 22-25. FREE.
Part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City festival, MindScape is an international collaboration between the NYC-based Shen Wei Dance Arts and Guangdong Modern Dance Company, mainland China’s first professional modern dance company. Choreographed by Wei, the piece fuses poetry with painting as swirling dancers turn their bodies into paint brushes.
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Artists at the Center: Hugo Marchand
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs July 23-26.
Hugo Marchand is one of the most famous ballet dancers in the world and an étoile dancer with Paris Opera Ballet. As part of City Center’s Artists series, he has curated an evening of pas de deux featuring fellow French stars Léonore Baulac, Dorothée Gilbert and Germain Louvet in choreography by Carolyn Carlson, Hans van Manen, Angelin Preljocaj and George Balanchine. But we’re particularly excited to see Marchand in The Firebird and his hypnotic Boléro, both choreographed by Maurice Béjart.
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BAAND Together Dance Festival
David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs July 29-August 1.
The BAAND Together Dance Festival is a favorite at Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City festival. In fact, it’s so popular that all five performances are currently sold out, though more tickets may be released closer to the dates. It’s worth checking back to see if you can score inexpensive tickets to watch five of NYC’s best dance ensembles in action: Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Even if you get shut out, there are FREE related offerings, including family-focused dance workshops on July 28 with New York City Ballet, July 29 with Ballet Hispánico, July 30 with American Ballet Theatre, July 31 with Alvin Ailey and August 1 with Dance Theatre of Harlem.
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PHILADANCO!
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs July 29-August 2.
The Philly-based PHILADANCO! continues its important mission of preserving Black traditions in dance. The troupe’s Joyce run includes popular works by Black dance makers Thang Dao, Tommie-Waheed Evans and Christopher Huggins, as well as a world premiere from Rennie Harris.
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Young Dancemakers Company: 2026 Tour
Various locations across the city
Runs July 29-August 6. FREE but reservations are required.
The Young Dancemakers Company is composed of exceptional dancers who attend NYC public high schools. After a summer of intense training, these aspiring movers and shakers embark on a six-day performance tour with stops in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. The dancer-choreographers collaborate with a wide range of composers to create original works which they perform. This year, the students also worked extensively with the famed choreographer and teacher Milton Myers and will dance his seminal Seasonal Fire.
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THE BRIDE: A Kill Bill Ballet
The Hidden Jewel Box Theater in the Port Authority Bus Terminal, 625 Eighth Avenue in Midtown West.
Runs July 31-August 2.
The Love Show presents an intimate dance production that brings Uma Thurman’s character from the Kill Bill movies to thrilling life in a tiny theatre tucked inside one of NYC’s busiest transit hubs. A fusion of burlesque, dance and live music, this tribute to Quentin Tarantino’s tale of revenge and redemption has been reimagined by director-choreographer Angela Harriell in collaboration with The Love Show dancers and sword fight master Nobuya Nagahama.
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Ballet Festival Curated by Misty Copeland
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs August 4-16.
Although the American Ballet Theatre legend retired from performing, Misty Copeland is keeping her toes firmly in dance. She’s curated this edition of The Joyce’s annual ballet festival, inviting artists from Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Houston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem and other celebrated ensembles to perform works by Dwight Rhoden, Andrea Miller, Alonzo King, Bob Fosse, Rudolf Nureyev, Kyle Abraham and more.
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Ajkun Ballet Theatre: A Midsummer’s Night Dream
Ballet Arts Center for Dance, 130 West 56th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Theatre at St. Jean’s, 150 East 76th Street near Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side
August 8-9 in Midtown; August 14 on the Upper East Side. If you’re a TDF Member, log in to purchase discount tickets.
Choreographer Chiara Ajkun presents her immersive ballet inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Though condensed into 90 minutes, the story follows the same outline as Shakespeare’s plot, with an assist from Felix Mendelssohn’s score.
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Battery Dance Festival
Robert Wagner Park, 20 Battery Place in Battery Park City
Runs August 11-16.
NYC’s longest running free dance festival, Battery Dance Festival celebrates its 45th year with artists from all over the world performing at the bottom of Manhattan. Just show up with a blanket or chair. Note that despite our erratic weather, the show almost always goes on, though do check the company’s Instagram, just in case. Highlights include NYC’s Soles of Duende (August 11), Romania’s Maria-Luiza Dimulescu & Camelia Neagoe (August 12), Taiwan’s Mailantia Dance Company (August 13), NYC’s Allpayana Ecuadorian Traditional Dance (August 14), the Indian Independence Day celebration (August 15) and Thomas/Ortiz Dance (August 16). Can’t make it in person? All performances will also be available to stream online.
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