Dance Calendar October 2023
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This month’s packed dance calendar begins with Harlem Stage’s 40th anniversary celebration with acclaimed series E-Moves. From October 13-14, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, known for melding traditional African and Afro-Cuban dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word, returns to Harlem Stage with the reprise of “Palo y Machete,” an excerpt of the evening-length work “One Shot.” Also on the program is the duet “March,” set to a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as “Upside Down,” which reflects on the impetus that drives individuals towards their destiny. Brown has invited emerging choreographer and Harlem resident Joya Powell, who will present “Hair Ties,” “a multidisciplinary, dance-theater piece inspired by America’s fear of Black power and beauty,” according to the release. For more information visit https://www.harlemstage.org/events-list/2023/10/13/ronaldkbrown-evidence
ALSO THIS MONTH:
Oct. 10-15: Malpaso Dance Company returns to the Joyce for their 8th appearance with the New York premiere of “A Dancing Island,” by artistic director Osnel Delgado set to a new score performed live by musicians from Cuba and the United States. Also on the program will be New York premieres by Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie and by Malpaso co-founder Daileidys Carrazana, who will perform “The Last Song.” For more information visit https://www.joyce.org/performances/malpaso-dance-company
Oct. 12-15: DELIRIOUS Dances/Edisa Weeks and 651ARTS will present “3 RITES: Life, Liberty, Happiness,” a trilogy featuring three interactive performance rituals that integrate dance, live music, text, visual installations, community discussions, and shared meals to interrogate why life, liberty and happiness were included as unalienable rights in the United States Declaration of Independence. For the premiere of “3 RITES: Liberty” the second installment invites audiences to engage in a powerful exploration of our past and present that challenges us to undo systematically racist structures and examine our collective and individual experiences within them. Performances take place at the Mark O’Donnell Theater. For more information visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3-rites-life-tickets-704571370937?aff=odeimcmailchimp
Oct. 17-22: In their Joyce debut, HopeBoykinDance will premiere “States Of Hope,” an evening-length performance where Boykin shares experiences and insights of self-discovery, reshaping, and renewal—a dance memoir of sorts. For more information visit https://www.joyce.org/performances/hopeboykindance
Oct. 19-21: South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma’s Broken Chord makes its US premiere as part of BAM’s Next Wave. Broken Chord reimagines the 19th-century South African choir’s journey through North America and England using traditional Xhosa and contemporary dance. This production marks Maqoma’s farewell as a dancer and delves into complex themes of colonialism and racism, creating a unique blend of movement and storytelling. For more information visit https://www.bam.org/broken-chord
Oct. 19-21: Antonio Ramos and the Gangbangers brings CEREMONIA, “a mixtape extravaganza of cultural misappropriation and reappropriation,” according to the release, to the Playhouse at Abrons Arts Center. For more information visit https://www.abronsartscenter.org/programs/ceremonia
Oct. 24-Nov. 5: The Tokyo-based company Sankai Juku which offers contemporary Butoh creations, returns to the Joyce with KŌSAr, a compilation of reimagined excerpts from the company’s repertoire. For more information visit https://www.joyce.org/performances/sankai-juku
Oct. 26–28: At Performance Space, mayfield brooks brings “Wail•Fall•Whale•Fall,” their interdisciplinary dance methodology Improvising While Black (IWB), which explores the decomposed matter of Black life and engages in dance improvisation, disorientation, dissent, and ancestral healing. “Wail Room,” an installation, is also part of the brooks’ events. For more information visit https://performancespacenewyork.org/shows/wailfallwhalefall/
Oct. 28: At Danspace Project as part of the DraftWork series, Wendell Gray II and Anna Sperber will offer works-in-development followed by a conversation with the DraftWork curator Ishmael Houston-Jones. This event is free with RSVP. For more information visit https://danspaceproject.org/calendar/draftwork2-fall2023/
Oct. 29: As part of the Works & Process series at the Guggenheim Museum, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s (DTH) new Artistic Director Robert Garland celebrates the DTH diaspora with a program that celebrates the company’s multifaceted founder Arthur Mitchell. Four DTH alums—Dionne Figgins, director of Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech; Alicia Graf Mack, director of Juilliard School’s dance division; Tai Jimenez, director of Dance Theatre of Harlem School; and Melanie Person, co-director of The Ailey School and director of Ailey/Fordham BFA—will coach DTH company dancers and participate in discussions moderated by Garland that explore how their time at DTH resonates in their work. For more information visit https://www.guggenheim.org/search?s=DTH&page=1
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