13 Dance Performances to See This Winter
Catch New York City Ballet, the annual Flamenco Festival, Lyon Opera Ballet and more
A new year of dance has arrived! January and February bring New York City Ballet’s winter season, the return of City Center’s annual Flamenco Festival and Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, which co-presents more than a dozen contemporary performances around town.
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Sons of Echo
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs January 14-25.
The brainchild of former American Ballet Theatre principal Daniil Simkin, this world-premiere program explores the demands of being a male ballet dancer, from their virtuosity to vulnerability. Simkin and four of his peers perform works by a quartet of female choreographers, including postmodern icon Lucinda Childs and New York City Ballet’s Tiler Peck, in this ambitious evening of classical and contemporary works.
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New York City Ballet Winter Season
David H. Koch Theater, 20 Lincoln Center Plaza at 63rd Street and Columbus Avenue in Lincoln Square
Runs January 20-March 1.
As always, New York City Ballet’s six-week season features a terrific array of works by George Balanchine, from his early Prodigal Son and Serenade to his forward-looking Kammermusik No. 2 and contemplative Le Tombeau de Couperin. There are also highly anticipated world premieres: Resident Choreographer Justin Peck sets his new ballet to the opening movement of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony No. 3, while Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky’s latest piece is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. A two-week engagement of Peter Martins’ brisk and traditional The Sleeping Beauty and a weeklong run of Jerome Robbins’ evergreen masterwork Dances at a Gathering round out the lineup.
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Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca: Irrationalities
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs January 27-February 8.
Working with their company of top-tier flamenco dancers, musicians and singers, artistic director Martín Santangelo and his Bessie Award-winning wife, Soledad Barrio, use the dark imagery of Francisco Goya as inspiration for Irrationalities. The troupe pushes the boundaries of the genre by bringing the legendary Spanish artist’s series of “Los Disparates” (“The Follies”) to life through movement, music and striking masks by Mary Frank.
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H.T. Chen & Dancers
La MaMa’s The Downstairs, 66 East 4th Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue in the East Village
Runs January 30-February 1. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets.
Despite a 2020 fire that destroyed its Chinatown studio and H.T. Chen’s passing two years later, his namesake troupe perseveres with a program of his work in honor of the Lunar New Year. These Teahouse Performances feature excerpts from three of his creations: Hidden Voices, about Chinese immigrant strikebreakers in the late 19th century, the Chinese Lion Dance-inspired Heart of Grace and Big Brother, a meditation on surveillance. Light refreshments will be served.
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Malpaso Dance Company
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 10-15.
The Havana-based Malpaso Dance Company returns to The Joyce with a landmark performance of Martha Graham’s Dark Meadow Suite, becoming the first Cuban troupe to stage the choreographer’s work. The Season by company cofounder Daile Carrazana and a commissioned piece by Keerati Jinakunwiphat round out the program, which is performed to live music.
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kNoname Artist/Roderick George: The Grave’s Tears
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea
Runs February 12-14.
Dance maker Roderick George explores the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the Black queer community in The Grave’s Tears, a full-evening work he created for his kNoname Artist company. Riffing off his 2024 work Venom, this piece is a memorial in movement to the lives lost.
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Trinity Irish Dance Company
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 17-22
Since 1990, this Chicago-based troupe has put an invigorating spin on traditional Irish dancing. This Joyce run includes one of the company’s earliest works, 1991’s Johnny, alongside two New York premieres. The first is by tap-dance innovator Michelle Dorrance, who created it in collaboration with the dancers. The other is by Trinity Irish Dance Company’s founding artistic director Mark Howard and his associates, and the entire program is danced to original live music performed by the troupe’s house band.
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Lyon Opera Ballet
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs February 19-21.
Despite its name, this distinguished French troupe is known for presenting contemporary works that defy expectations. For this engagement, part of Van Cleef & Arpels’ expansive Dance Reflections festival, the Lyon Opera Ballet contrasts Merce Cunningham’s exquisite fusion of dance and projections BIPED with the US premiere of Mycelium by Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos, whose precise collective movements evoke systems in nature.
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Ballet National de Marseille & (LA)HORDE: Age of Content
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Runs February 20-22.
Ballet National de Marseille and the multidisciplinary ensemble (LA)HORDE examine the evolution of identity in our online era in Age of Content. Combining highly kinetic live performance with digital landscapes informed by TikTok and video games, this evening-length work is danced to a score that includes music by Avia, Gabber Eleganza and Philip Glass. Part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
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Reflections: A Triptych by Benjamin Millepied
Perelman Performing Arts Center, 251 Fulton Street at the intersection of Vesey and Greenwich Streets in the Financial District
Runs February 21-22.
Three contemporary ballets inspired by precious gems—Reflections, Hearts & Arrows and On the Other Side—comprise this glittering evening, part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. Choreographed by former New York City Ballet star Benjamin Millepied, the three works merge dance, music and design to evoke shimmering, multifaceted worlds.
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Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea
Runs February 24-March 1.
Ronald K. Brown’s EVIDENCE is a Joyce favorite. His fluid and uplifting works fusing African and street dance with spirituality are particularly welcome during this chaotic time. For this weeklong run, his company performs two programs of pieces drawn from his four-decade career as a choreographer, including beloved mainstays such as Gatekeepers and Grace.
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Trisha Brown Dance Company
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Avenue between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Runs February 26-28.
The venerable Trisha Brown Dance Company made its BAM debut 50 years ago. This milestone anniversary is also a chance for the troupe to honor the centennial of one of its frequent collaborators, visual artist Robert Rauschenberg, who designed many sets. This double bill consists of Brown’s Set & Reset from 1983 featuring a score by Laurie Anderson and Merce Cunningham’s 1977 work Travelogue, set to a John Cage score, which hasn’t been seen in decades. Part of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
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Flamenco Festival
New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown West
Runs February 27-March 8.
For its 25th edition, this annual celebration of flamenco artistry expands its schedule. The festival kicks off with the starry Gala Flamenca, followed by Estévez and Paños y Compañía presenting La Confluencia, exploring the versatility of male flamenco dancers. The second week brings the return of festival favorite Sara Baras with Vuela, which honors the late, great flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía.
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