‘CELEBRATING BROOKLYN’
Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th Street and Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, 718-855-7882, celebratebrooklyn.org
June 24 & July 22; On June 24, the renowned Savion Glover and crew take tap to new heights, while jazzy pianist Robert Glasper plays. On July 22, Ronald K. Brown’s Evidence brings a bursting fusion of African and modern movement to the stage.
‘CLEVER HANS’
HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue, 212-868-4444, here.org
June 1–4; The Brothers Grimm tale about a boy who makes constant mistakes and chalks it up to doing “better next time” isn’t just for the kiddies. FREEFALL(ltd)’s three-part performance, choreographed by Lynn Brown and Lynn Marie Ruse and performed by the company, is presented to mirror current political methods of never taking responsibility for bad decisions and instead making easy excuses. Let’s just hope there isn’t as much eye gauging.
‘DANCING IN THE STREETS’
Coffey Park, Visitation Place, between Richards and Dwight streets, Brooklyn; Highbridge Park, Water Tower, park entrance at 174th Street and Amsterdam Avenue; 212-625-3505, dancinginthestreets.org.
June 3, June 10 & July 17: Red Hook is getting a makeover, and this summer, expect more arts festivals and educational programs to liven up the streets. The Urban Bush Women along with sixth-graders from the nabe’s P.S./M.S. 27 present Water in the Community, a piece on the historical and current impact water has on the area (June 3). On June 10, the ASE Dance Theater Collective joins fifth-graders from the school to perform Afro-Cuban, Haitian, and Dominican dance forms. Tap artist Tamango presents Urban Tap on July 17. Audience participation is encouraged, so be prepared for your little ones and you to do a step or two. Call for more performances and locations.
DANSPACE PROJECT
57 Rockwell Place, 2nd floor, 718-855-7882, bricstudio.org
June 2–4
Allyson Green Dance, Migrations
June 16–18
“Food for Thought”
June 22–25
City/Dans: Kimberly Bartosik, Home in the Neon Heat
June 23–24
Out of Space @ BRICstudio
‘EVENING STARS’
Battery Park, Battery Place to South Street, part of the River to River Festival, rivertorivernyc.com
September 6–10, all shows at 7:30 p.m.: A grand finale to this festival wouldn’t be complete without the help of some choice dance companies, including Philadanco performing Gate Keepers (September 6) and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in Emily Molnar’s 4 Flight’s Down (September 7). On September 8, there’s a collaborative presentation with Trisha Brown Dance Company, the Stephen Petronio Company, and Ashleigh Leite. Brown joins Petronio and co. in a performance of Bloom, and Petronio joins Leite in Autopsy. September 10 is an ode to salsa with an all-out afternoon dance contest—the winner gets to share the stage with the pros for that evening’s show.
‘RIVER TO RIVER FESTIVAL’
Elevated Acre, 55 Water Street; fire escape at 36 Orchard Street; 32 Sixth Avenue, northeast corner, main floor; Columbus Park, intersection of Baxter, Mulberry, Worth, and Bayard streets; exterior balconies at Cipriani’s, 55 Wall Street; rivertorivernyc.com.
June 1–September 10: Only in this city will you catch someone doing a performance on a fire escape. This series of nomadic presentations brings dance to some of the least expected places. Catch dizzying and deconstructing movement by Douglass Dunn and Elke Rindfleisch in Multiple Undo & Other Distortions (June 19). L.A.’s Heidi Duckler (a/k/a fire escape extraordinaire) performs In Case of Love Break Glass with her Collage Dance Theater (July 21). Canadian interdisciplinary crew Bluemouth Inc. and guest artists show the Dora Award–winning What the Thunder Said (July 25). Prepare to relax with H.T. Chen and Sharon Estacio when they perform Oasis (August 9). And lastly, Ellis Wood Dance’s 20 female performers show area stockbrokers some sensual abandon in Fire on Wall Street (August 31).
‘Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’
June 17–August 26, George Carter Road, Becket, Massachusetts, 413-243-0745, jacobspillow.org.
June 17
Opening gala with the Ted Shawn Theatre
June 21
25 Ted Shawn Theatre’s CND2
June 23
Ballets Russes film
June 28
July 2 Limón Dance Company
June 29
July 2 Aszure & Artists
July 5–9
Suzanne Farrell Ballet
July 6–9
Emanuel Gat Dance
July 12–16
Tania Pérez-Salas
July 13–16
Robert Moses’ Kin
July 19–23
Tero Saarinen Company
July 20–23
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble
July 26–30
Eva Yerbabuena
July 27–30
Danish Dance Theatre
August 2–6
Trey McIntyre Project
Augst 3–6
Armitage Gone! Dance
August 9–13
Shen Wei Dance Arts
August 10–13
MoveOpolis!
August 16–20
Pacific Northwest Ballet
August 17–20
Choreftes
August 22–27
Mark Morris Dance Group
August 24–27
Rubberbandance Group
August 26
Festival Finale Benefit Dance Party
‘Lincoln Center Festival 2006’
July 10–July 30, New York State Theater, 63rd Street and Broadway; LaGuardia Concert Hall, 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue; LaGuardia Drama Theater, 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue; 212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org
July 12, 14 & 15
STREB, Streb vs. Gravity
July 12–15
Emanuel Gat Dance, The Rite of Spring and
Winter Voyage
July 18–20
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Blind Date
July 20
Batsheva Dance Company, Telophaza
July 21 & 22
Saburo Teshigawara, Bones in Pages
July 25
San Francisco Ballet
July 26–28
San Francisco Ballet, Sylvia
July 27 & 28
Yasmeen Godder and the Bloody Bench Players, Strawberry Cream and Gunpowder
July 29 & 30
San Francisco Ballet, 7 for Eight, Quaternary, and Artifact Suite
‘Lincoln Center Out of Doors’
Damrosch Park Bandshell, 62nd Street near Amsterdam Avenue; Josie Robertson Plaza, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street; North Plaza, north of Metropolitan Opera House; 212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org.
August 4–August 27: This cultural hub is once again teeming with dancers. In the Bandshell: See Lima’s 30-member music and dance ensemble Perú Negro (August 5). New York’s 17-year-old Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group and L.A.’s Lula Washington Dance Theater explore African and American traditions in “Double Trouble” (August 10). Needing no introductions, Martha Graham Dance Company performs in celebration of the troupe’s 80th anniversary (August 16). On August 25 and 26, Garth Fagan Dance revels in postmodernist movement. On Josie Plaza: On August 10, We B Girlz gets three hip-hop crews to compete for bragging rights while Toni Blackman and DJ Kuttin’ K serve as MCs. On August 11, spanning African movement, the Kusun Ensemble present music and dance titled Nokoko. Wire Monkey Dance performs its gravity-defying multimedia show on August 12. Terry Dean Bartlett (of STREB) and Katie Workum’s “Danceoff! Happy Hour” shows the athleticism and high-energy skills of numerous performers in a quasi-competitive setting on August 17. And the programs end in the North Plaza with a special performance of Tom Pearson’s Lacuna: Urban Ritual set in the center’s reflecting pool and accompanied by the music of Louis Mofsie (August 23).
‘Midsummer Night Swing’
Josie Robertson Plaza, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, 212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org
June 20–July 22: There might not be that many stars that can be seen in this city, but dancing under them never loses its draw. For five weeks, live music creates the mood for this party that also offers a chance to learn some fancy moves (dance lessons are offered every evening at 6:30 p.m.). Tuesday is dedicated to big bands like the 14-piece Jonathan Stout Orchestra (June 20). Salsa is the specialty on Saturdays with music by Chino Nuñez & Friends (June 28), Alex Torres y Su Orchestra (July 1), and others. There are also Kids’ Days and a celebration for LGBT pride (clubland’s Martha Wash, Ari Gold, and DJ Brenda Black perform, June 21). The organizers really mean business—there’s even a raised dancefloor to get down on.
‘Mostly Mozart Festival’
New York State Theater, 63rd Street and Broadway, 212-875-5766, lincolncenter.org.
August 17–19
Mark Morris’ Mozart Dances
‘Summer in the Square’
June 28–August 16, Union Square, Union Square East and 16th Street, 212-460-1208
July 5
Gina Gibney Dance and Harambee Dance Company
July 12
Kathak Ensemble
July 19
Battery Dance Company
July 26
Performance Space 122
August 2
KR3T’S Dance Company
August 9
Joffrey School of Dance Ensemble and the Niall O’Leary Irish Dance Troupe
‘Tap City 2006’
The Duke on 42nd Street Theater, 229 West 42nd Street, 212-239-6200, atdf.org
July 9–22: All the bigwigs will be in town for this massive tap festival. July 9 is the opening-weekend jam. July 11 offers an evening of tap on film as well as an adult talent showcase—the younger crowd shows off its skills on July 12. On July 13, Michelle Ribble hosts “Tap Youth/Tap Future,” a performance by kids and teens nationwide. On July 14, “Tap Internationals” features global artists, and on July 15, “Tap Forward” features contemporary choreography by soloists, ensembles, and up-and-coming hoofers. July 16’s “Tap & Song” includes Tony Waag and friends exploring vaudeville, comedy, and classic song and dance; tap legends are later inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame. July 18 through 22 are extended performances of “Tap Forward” and “Tap & Song.” Call for more happenings.