For over four decades, Next Wave has stood as a declaration of what BAM believes in: presenting revolutionary works by groundbreaking artists to curious audiences. Showcasing local, national and global creators whose work spans—and fuses—dance, music, performance art, theater, visual art and more, Next Wave offers a panoramic view of contemporary innovation—and illuminates the shared ideals and inspirations that bring artists and audiences together.
This year’s Next Wave features iconic artists whose work BAM has celebrated many times over, along with newer talents whose work will define the decades to come. More than a festival, more than a series of events, Next Wave is a state of mind—and a community completed by you, the audience.
Next Wave 2025 includes:
Dambudzo
October 8-9, 2025
“Rock star of downtown dance” (Dance Journal) Nora Chipaumire combines sound, painting, sculpture and performance in a fearless, immersive experience confronting colonial legacies.
Natalia Lafourcade
October 11, 2025
Celebrated Mexican singer-songwriter, composer, producer and activist Natalia Lafourcade fuses beloved traditional Latin idioms with a modern sensibility for her stripped-down, intimate Cancionera tour.
What Is War
October 21-25, 2025
Eiko Otake and Wen Hui weave a complex tapestry of language, movement and video, excavated from recollections of war, political upheaval and their aftermath.
LACRIMA
October 22 & 24-26, 2025
In this sprawling theater piece, a Parisian fashion house receives an extraordinary commission, and a fascinating story unfolds across continents and generations.
Martha@BAM—The 1963 Interview
October 28-November 1, 2025
Recreating a 1963 interview between the iconic choreographer Martha Graham and dance critic Walter Terry, Richard Move embodies Graham live on stage, evoking her indomitable spirit.
Franklin Furnace's 50th Anniversary
October 2025-January 2026
Franklin Furnace, a crucial downtown New York arts space and archive currently based at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, is the subject of a gallery show marking its 50th anniversary in 2026.
Optimistic Voices
November 5-8, 2025
Juliana F. May creates thrillingly elaborate cycles of song, text and movement from the wreckage of difficult experience, probing the intractable contradictions of family, eroticism and motherhood.
I Guess It Was My Destiny To Live So Long
November 18-22, 2025
Curated by Hanif Abdurraqib, a constellation of artists, writers and performers activate BAM’s spaces, illuminating the truths of our moment via poetic imagination.
FOR REAL
November 19-23, 2025
Combining in-depth social reporting with original music, this theatrical radio show probes the intellectual undermining of women confronted with sexism, and invites audience members to add their voices.
For All Your Life
December 3-7, 2025
Choreographer Leslie Cuyjet investigates the value of Black life and death in a performance, film and social experiment that draws upon the life insurance industry for method and metaphor.
What to wear
January 15-17, 2026
Richard Foreman and Michael Gordon’s raucous post-rock opera is remounted for the first time in two decades, directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar.
