14 Dance Performance to See This May

Catch ballet and tap-dance festivals, Parsons Dance, DanceAfrica and more

Ballet lovers, in addition to New York City Ballet’s season, which continues through the end of the month, there’s the On Pointe Dance Festival showcasing classical and contemporary works. Tap aficionados can see Michelle Dorrance, Caleb Teicher and other stars of the genre at the 25th annual Tap City. And BAM hosts the 49th edition of its beloved DanceAfrica, which includes performances, classes and an outdoor market.

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Jamal Jackson Dance Company: Adultification

Triskelion Arts, 106 Calyer Street at Banker Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Runs May 7-9.

Choreographer Jamal Jackson examines the concept of Adultification, the damaging and dangerous perception that Black boys are much older than their actual age. In this evening-length work, he juxtaposes joyous moments of Black boy joy and innocence with the prejudice they face on a daily basis.

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The Sa Dance Company: RISE

New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea

Runs May 7-9.

Payal Kadakia is the artistic director of The Sa Dance Company, an all-female ensemble specializing in Indian dance styles both traditional and contemporary. The troupe’s immersive four-part work, RISE, chronicles the life of an Indian woman, from young dreamer to adult navigating cultural expectations and bias with the support of the strong ladies in her life.

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Matthew Westerby Company

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street between Amsterdam and Eleventh Avenues on the Upper West Side

Runs May 8-9.

Matthew Westerby’s dancers perform a selection of contemporary repertory as well as the world premiere of nineteeneightyfour, inspired by the chillingly timely themes of George Orwell’s landmark novel 1984: surveillance, control and authoritarianism.

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On Pointe Dance Festival

Arts on Site, 12 St. Marks Place between Second and Third Avenues in the East Village

Runs May 8 and 10.

Neville Dance Theatre’s annual fest offers a diverse selection of classic and contemporary ballet works—all performed on pointe. The two programs include choreography from the presenter along with Ballet Embody, Syracuse City Ballet, Dance Key West and others.

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Parsons Dance

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea

Runs through May 10.

David Parsons and his namesake troupe are back at The Joyce with their signature blend of wondrous stage craft and exciting choreography. This program features a new co-commission with the Guggenheim’s Works & Process series, Courtney “Balenciaga” Washington’s Fearless, along with two world premieres: Parsons’ Ludwig set to the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Mayte Natalio’s Do Not Go Gentle. Classic works round out the lineup—keep an eye out for Nascimento Novo, which Parsons created in collaboration with legendary Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento 20 years ago.

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marion spencer: h o r i z o n

Target Margin Theater, 232 52nd Street between Second and Third Avenues in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Runs May 13-15.

h o r i z o n is a multimedia ensemble movement piece exploring the impact of climate disasters, extinction and evolution. Inspired by biological anthropologist Adriana Petryna’s Horizon Work, the piece asks viewers to consider how we can collaborate to reverse some of the ecological damage done.

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To Dance Is to Be Free

Aaron Davis Hall, 129 Convent Avenue near 135th Street

Runs May 14-15.

Born in La Ceiba, Honduras, virtuosic tap dancer Gerson Lanza fell in love with the form when he moved to the US. In To Dance Is to Be Free, he uses movement, live music and spoken word to interrogate race, ethnicity and immigration while grappling with the experience of being Black in America.

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Juilliard Senior Dance Production

Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 155 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in Lincoln Square

Runs May 15-16.

Every spring, some of the most talented up-and-coming dancers in the world graduate from Juilliard. This concert showcases the graduating students of 2026 in works they choreographed, with rising seniors also performing.

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Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street at Ninth Avenue in Midtown West

Runs May 15-16.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company celebrates Asian American Heritage Month with a program that honors the past (a revival of Du by Chen, who tragically drowned in 2021), the present (Ying Shi’s Flowing Stream under the Moon Light) and the future (the premiere of Peter Chu’s Reflections of a Ripple).

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Tap City

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea

Runs May 19-24.

The American Tap Dance Foundation’s annual festival, Tap City, returns to The Joyce for its 25th anniversary. Enjoy a week of celebratory performances from tip-top tappers including Michelle Dorrance, Caleb Teicher, Max Pollak, Jason Samuels Smith, Karen Callaway Williams, Soles of Duende (Amanda Castro, Brinda Guha and Arielle Rosales) and the event’s founder, Tony Waag. Highlights include a revival of BOOM! featuring choreography by the late legend Gregory Hines, Brenda Bufalino’s iconic solo My Mind Is on Mingus performed by Dorrance and classics by the Copasetics.

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WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company: Here NOW So Long

New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Chelsea

Runs May 21-23.

In Here NOW So Long, choreographer Young Soon Kim investigates how folks cope with overwhelming emotions. Organized into 12 sections, this multimedia dance-theatre piece combines fluid movement with video images by Hao Bai and an original electronic and guitar score by Marco Cappelli.

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DanceAfrica 2026

Various spaces at BAM in Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Runs May 22-25.

Our country’s largest celebration of the African diaspora through dance and music, DanceAfrica celebrates its 49th edition with performances by Ndere Troupe from Uganda, Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers and The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble. To complement the performances, there will be an outdoor bazaar featuring food, clothing and other items for purchase plus various community events, visual art and dance parties.

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Doug Varone and Dancers

The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea

Runs May 27-31.

Doug Varone marks his company’s 40th anniversary at The Joyce with a program that includes a revival of his Bessie Award-winning Boats Leaving (2006) and the New York premiere of No Matter What the End, set to Radiohead’s acclaimed album In Rainbows.

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Queensboro Dance Festival Kickoff

Runs May 30. FREE

Get a preview of 21 local troupes participating in the 13th annual Queensborough Dance Festival this summer at this opening event. Enjoy performances and classes in the plazas along 34th Avenue and in Travers Park, all for FREE. Rain date is Sunday, May 31.

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