Created in 2003 by Jin Xing, one of the most fascinating choreographers and artists performing today, Shanghai Tango includes ten works that she has created over the last 25 years. Set to an eclectic collage of music from Astor Piazzolla to Johann Strauss, the piece uses the sometimes sleazy, sometimes playful, but always sensuous, rhythmic, and passionate components of the tango as a conceptual framework to explore contemporary Shanghai culture. This wondrous movement landscape is striking in its visual melding of Eastern and Western artistic threads. read more »

Dance Theatre of Harlem II is comprised of sixteen young dance artists trained in the DTH style and developed in the spirit that transformed perceptions about ballet. Carrying on the legacy begun by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook when they founded Dance Theatre of Harlem forty-two years ago, the company, now under the artistic direction of Virginia Johnson, presents an eclectic and vibrant mix of neoclassical and contemporary ballets. For the Joyce season, the program includes a stirring new ballet by acclaimed choreographer Donald Byrd and Glinka Pas de Trois, a rarely seen Balanchine work. read more »

Renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min founded Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in 1973, creating a new form of dance that fused Eastern and Western cultures. In 1999, he founded Cloud Gate 2, a company making its New York debut at The Joyce with the work of remarkable international choreographers Bulareyaung Pagarlava, commissioned by the Martha Graham Company; Huang Yi, one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch, 2011"; Wu Kuo-chu, former Artistic Director of Tanztheater at Staatstheater Kassel, Germany; and Cheng Tsung-lung, winner of the Roma Choreography Competition 2011. read more »

Under the Presidency of H.R.H the Princess of Hanover, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Monaco's official dance company, makes its Joyce debut with two riveting works created by celebrated choreographer-director Jean-Christophe Maillot. Opus 40, a beautifully-staged piece with sets and costumes by the American painter George Condo and music by the incomparable Meredith Monk, portrays emotion and mystery captured in structured frames. Also on the program is Part I from Altro Canto, a 2006 work with costumes by designer Karl Lagerfeld and a set by Rolf Sachs. Performed to the passionate music of Monteverdi and others, Altro Canto features constant, intense movement punctuated by startling jolts of energy.

monacotakesus.com read more »

The company makes its Joyce debut with Play "a masterful ballet" by Ib Andersen, "a deeply gifted choreographer" (Dance Magazine). Described by Andersen as a "seven-course meal," Play is an evening length work composed of seven ballets set to the rich music of Mozart, Schubert, Britten, and Stravinsky. With its style and mood changing from passionate to playful, from evocative to elegant, the piece virtually plays with "constant changes of tone and musical attentiveness" to reveal "remarkably skilled dance-making." The New York Times read more »

"Exceptionally supple ballet-trained dancers" (The New York Times) are at the core of this acclaimed Swiss company. The ensemble performs an enchanting evening length work by Israeli born choreographer Emanuel Gat, a powerful new voice in contemporary dance, who uses the music of J.S. Bach as inspiration for this mesmerizing piece. "It is with profound humility, gratitude and love for the music of Bach, that I embarked on this project," says Gat. "His ability to transform structure and form, into music which holds fundamental truths, is to me unmatched." read more »

The celebrated Stephen Petronio Company unveils the world premiere of The Architecture of Loss, a work dedicated to the shifting grounds we navigate in a rapidly morphing world. This international collaboration melds Petronio's searing, high octane language with the music of Valgeir Sigurdsson (Iceland) along with the contribution of composer Nico Muhly (New York), visual elements by Rannva Kunoy (the Faroe Islands/London), the fashion designs of Gudrun & Gudrun (the Faroe Islands), and the lighting of Ken Tabachnick (New York). The evening also includes City of Twist, a 2002 collaboration with the legendary artist/composer Laurie Anderson and fashion provocateur Tara Subkoff. This wildly kinetic yet disarmingly subtle work paints a series of archetypal urban portraits, a love letter to New York City in the aftermath of 9/11. The program also includes Ethersketch I,* performed by New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan, and a historic first revival of Intravenous Lecture (1970), conceived by Judson legend Steve Paxton and performed by Stephen Petronio.

*Please note: this piece will only be performed Tuesday through Friday. read more »

Inner Landscape, the latest offering in the company's innovative series of thematic performances including contextual media and narration, features the acclaimed Graham psychological works in which she laid bare the human psyche. The Joyce season includes premieres by Lar Lubovitch and Yvonne Rainer, a revival of Mary Wigman's Witch Dance and Graham's comic Every Soul is a Circus, as well as Graham classics Night Journey, Deaths and Entrances, and Chronicle.

One night-only, March 14: leading university dance groups and Graham II perform Inner Landscape works by Martha Graham, Charles Weidman and Anna Sokolow. See the next generation interpret these masterworks. All tickets $35. read more »

Nrityagram Dance Ensemble takes the stage with a mesmerizing new work choreographed by Artistic Director Surupa Sen. Devoted to popularizing Odissi, an ancient Indian sacred ritual that celebrates the beauty of curved body lines, the company joins forces with Srilanka's Chitrasena Dance Company to explore the meeting point between the sensuality of Odissi and the masculine dynamism of Chitrasena's Kandyan dance, a shamanic ritual undertaken to purify and invoke divine energy. read more »

Applauded for its "high-octane, high-flying" (The New York Times) fusion of African dance forms, modern dance and capoeira, the company performs Dance like a Fight - Fight like a Dance, a sensuous, fast-paced new work by Artistic Director Jelon Vieira that draws upon the ongoing dialogue of a capoeira roda, (the circle where capoeira lives). Also on the program—the revival of last season's hit Batuke, a hard-driving piece exploding with the rhythms created by smooth samba steps, capoeira lethal kicks, and the stick dance Maculelé. read more »

For three nights only, The Joyce Theater Foundation is proud to present the Sadler's Wells London/Sylvie Guillem production of 6000 miles away, featuring internationally acclaimed Sylvie Guillem. "The most brilliant ballerina of her generation" (The Guardian), Guillem makes a rare American visit for the U.S. premiere of this evening of works by three of today's most important choreographers. William Forsythe's, Rearray, created especially for Guillem, is a duet performed with Teatro alla Scala Ballet's Massimo Murru. Swedish choreographer Mats Ek's new solo for her, Bye, is set to Beethoven's final piano sonata. Also on the program--a duet from Jiří Kylián's work, 27'52", performed by dancers handpicked by him. Experience this memorable event, a highlight of New York's cultural season.

For information on The Joyce 2012 Spring Gala performance on Wednesday, April 4, and to purchase tickets, click here.

Performances take place at The David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
Broadway and 63rd Street, New York, NY read more »

Last Touch First, one of the most intriguing productions on the Joyce spring roster, was created by world-renowned choreographer Jiří Kylián and dancer Michael Schumacher for the 2008 Holland Dance Festival. Based on Kylián's Last Touch, created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2003, this haunting hour-long work, performed in profoundly slow motion, "eschews physical virtuosity for control, subtlety and timing." (The Guardian,) as it penetrates the desperation, madness, and isolation involved in the "persistent pursuit of the hopeless." Ballettanz read more »

Ballet Hispanico pays tribute to the richness and range of its Latino roots—and the diverse talents of the company's dancers—with a Joyce season that features African and indigenous influences. Highlights include the world premiere of Espiritu Vivo, created especially for Ballet Hispanico by Ronald K. Brown and set to music by Afro-Peruvian singing sensation Susana Baca; and the Joyce premiere of Asuka, Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro's first work for the company, an exuberant homage to salsa legend Celia Cruz. read more »

Making its U.S. premiere at The Joyce, Introdans performs Heavenly, a retrospective journey that includes three works showcasing the Dutch-based modern ballet company's eclectic and exciting repertory. Messiah, created by Ed Wubbe in 1988 and set to music by Handel, is an abstract ballet performed with driving, swirling energy. Fünf Gedichte (Five Poems), created by Nils Christe in 1996 for Introdans' 25th anniversary season, is a lyrical piece set to five songs by Richard Wagner. Completing the program is Paradise?, a 2006 piece by Brazilian choreographer Gisela Rocha, displaying the organized chaos of a rowdy but elegant hip-hop battle. read more »

Renowned for its visionary choreography and exquisite dancers, Alonzo King LINES Ballet returns to The Joyce this spring with a program of explosive, wrenchingly beautiful contemporary ballet. Scheherazade, commissioned by the Monaco Dance Forum to inaugurate the Centenary of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, is "stunning" (San Jose Mercury) and "a visual feast, an evening of dreams" (Monaco-Matin). Brought to life by the extraordinary LINES Ballet dancers, this transformative ballet is set to a new score by tabla master Zakir Hussain after Rimsky-Korsakov. In Resin, Alonzo King explores the vast and diverse field of Sephardic music, drawing on songs and field recordings from Yemen, Turkey, Morocco, and Spain, creating a tapestry that the San Francisco Chronicle called a "crown jewel." read more »

Combining voluptuous physicality with classical technique created by the most provocative dance makers in the world, Cedar Lake is one of the most exciting companies performing today. Returning to The Joyce for two weeks this spring with its sixteen magnificent dancers, led by Artistic Director Benoit-Swan Pouffer, the company will perform two programs of highly anticipated New York premieres, including Violet Kid, the latest work for the company by UK based choreographer Hofesh Shechter, and Grace Engine by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite. Also highlighting the Joyce season--New York premieres by Sweden's Alexander Ekman and the Netherland's Regina van Berkel. read more »

The Festival returns for two weeks with programs featuring cutting-edge artists, world premieres, and Joyce debuts. Week One begins with Brian Brooks Moving Company in the premiere of BIG CITY, a work that examines the concept of rebuilding after a destructive event. The week also highlights choreographer Jodie Gates, who will set work on Ballet X and Colorado Ballet. Sharing the program with Gates will be Peter Quanz, whose Canadian-based company Q Dance/Quanz Danse will perform two works, including In Tandem, set to a score by Steve Reich.

Week Two opens with a special one-night celebration featuring multiple artists and continues with the Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC performing a world premiere as well as Stijn Celis' Fragile Dwellings, with a light installation by Erwin Redl. The Festival concludes with Gallim Dance, under the direction of Andrea Miller, who performs a world premiere exploring how the knowledge that we are going to die shapes the way we love.

One Night Celebration Program
On Tuesday June 5th, Gotham Arts Exchange celebrates the choreographic work of American women. The program includes work from the legends of our time and the women who bring audience members to their feet. We're also going to throw in a few up and coming voices. Scheduled to participate are: Carmen deLavallade, Carolyn Dorfman, Kate Weare, Monica Bill Barnes, and Camille A. Brown. read more »

Pop culture fuses with high art in KEIGWIN + COMPANY's electrifying brand of contemporary dance. K+C returns to The Joyce in 2012 with three New York premieres that combine Larry Keigwin's theatricality and wit, ranging from a work for 12 dancers set to a score by electronic composer and longtime collaborator Jonathan Pratt to a quartet for the company's dancers and a solo danced by Keigwin. Celebrated by The New York Times as "divinely well-structured," Megalopolis will round out the program. This is a dazzling work that blends a futuristic urban vision with nightclub camp to a mash up of minimalism and hip-hop. read more »

As part of its 65th anniversary celebration, Limón Dance Company, under the direction of Carla Maxwell, will perform a world premiere pairing world renowned Cuban composer/performer Paquito D'Rivera with Rodrigo Pederneiras, the principal choreographer of Grupo Corpo, Brazil's leading contemporary dance company. This full-company work, Paquito's first dance commission and Rodrigo's first commission for a US dance company, will stretch the boundaries of Limón's legacy by uniting extraordinary music and dance. The program will also include a revival of Limón's 1956 masterwork The Emperor Jones, based on the powerful Eugene O'Neill play and set to the resonant music of Heitor Villa-Lobos. read more »

Born in India and raised in Paris, the "divinely gifted" (The New York Times) Shantala Shivalingappa combines elements from the Southern Indian traditional dance characterized by flowing lines and intricate footwork with a western contemporary dance sensibility. For her Joyce debut, Shantala performs Namasya<.i>, a work celebrating her diverse choreographic influences that consists of four solos including one created by Ushio Amagatsu, Sankai Juku's renowned artistic director, and another choreographed during her residency with Pina Bausch. Filled with elegant movement that sheds light on interior thoughts, Namasya clearly establishes Shantala Shivalingappa as one of the most intriguing artists on the international scene. read more »

Applauded by The New York Times his "highly developed craft" and music choices that are "irresistible for their sly sensuality and humor and even more for gut-wrenching rhythms that feel both elemental and intricately woven," Ronald K. Brown and his company, Evidence, return to The Joyce with two programs of dance, music, and storytelling. Program A features the New York Company premiere of Gatekeepers, a work that tells a story about caretaking and waiting at the door of heaven for those on their way. Also on the program—the New York premiere of Everybody at the Table, Act II of On Earth Together, set to music by Stevie Wonder. Program B features Walking Out the Dark, Seeking Healing, Come Ye, and Upside Down, compelling pieces performed to music ranging from Cutumba Folklorio do Santiago, Nina Simone, Oumou Sangare, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti. read more »

A fungus that grew into an international dance phenomenon, Pilobolus performs a season full of "stunning physical feats and visual surprises, a peek or two into the crannies of the heart, and lots of humor, both awful and sublime." (The New York Times). Highlights include premieres created in collaboration with Michael Moschen and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, two artists whose work takes the very definition of dance to new frontiers. The collaboration with physicist, juggler, dancer Moschen unites the underlying spirit of Pilobolus's work--support, humanity, connection—with an artist similarly fascinated with the emotional and physical properties governing human interaction. And the collaboration with Cherkaoui, a "bright young star of contemporary European dance," (Los Angeles Times), equally promises to defy the established boundaries of visual and kinetic artistry. Sandwiched in between are audience favorites gleaned from Pilobolus' repertory, a bag of tricks embracing forty-one years of fun. read more »

"One of the country's most entertaining, original ballet troupes," (Dance Magazine), San Francisco's Smuin Ballet returns to The Joyce with its signature bold, sexy, and innovative dance. The program includes founder Michael Smuin's Medea, a powerfully hypnotic work created during his tenure as artistic director of San Francisco Ballet; Oh, Inverted World, a piece by Trey McIntryre set to music by indie-rock band The Shins; and Soon These Two Worlds, an effervescent ballet by Choreographer in Residence Amy Seiwert and set to pulsating music from the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet's Pieces of Africa. read more »