92NY Announces Harkness Dance Center 90th Anniversary Season

The 92nd Street Y, New York Harkness Dance Center has announced the 90th Anniversary Season with the Harkness Mainstage Series 2024/25.

The season features unique performances in Kaufmann Concert Hall and Buttenwieser Hall at the Arnhold Center and features well-known companies along with newer names and artists, as 92NY continues to invest in new generations.

The season opens with The Batsheva Ensemble, making their 92NY debut with Kamuyot, choreographed by Ohad Naharin. Choreographer Omar Román De Jesús, whose work Like those playground kids at midnight was performed at 92NY as part of our 150th Anniversary celebration, brings his own company, Boca Tuya and Limón Dance Company closes the season with a world premiere by Aszure Barton.

Dance forms from the streets come together at the first Uptown Rhythm Dance Festival, co-presented by three uptown neighbors – 92NY's Harkness Dance Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and Hi-ARTS; and drummer, composer and bandleader Allison Miller brings her work Rivers in Our Veins, with special guest Michelle Dorrance, co-presented by Harkness Dance Center and Tisch Music.

The season also includes Urban Bush Women with a performance created especially for 92NY; Carolyn Dorfman Dance with works from her Legacy Project; Dormeshia's Ladies in the Shoe; David Dorfman Dance with an evening uniting company members past and present dancing in Lightbulb Theory and other works performed at 92NY.; and the up-and-coming company DUAL RIVET presenting their evening length piece SUBSCRIPT.

Returning to 92NY stages this season: The Bang Group's Nut/Cracked and the Future Dance Festival.

“This season – our 90th year of dance programming – I am elated to be continuing the vision set forth at 92NY since the foundation of the Dance Center in 1934: to support the current generation and the next generation of artists in the field while opening up the world of dance to an ever-expanding community of students, enthusiasts, artists and teachers,” comments Alison Manning, Co-Executive Director, Harkness Dance Center. “Our 2024/25 Harkness Mainstage Series continues to honor the legacy, ingenuity and evolution of the great artists and companies who have previously graced the stages and studios of our institution.”

HARKNESS DANCE CENTER 2024/25 SEASON

THE BATSHEVA ENSEMBLE

Kamuyot
Buttenwieser Hall
Fri, Sep 27, 5 pm & 8 pm
Sat, Sep 28, 4 pm & 7 pm
Sun, Sep 29, 4 pm & 7 pm
Israel's acclaimed Batsheva Dance Company brings house choreographer Ohad Naharin's signature community-building piece Kamuyot, to 92NY for the first time, in honor of Harkness Dance Center's 90th anniversary. The piece will be performed by The Batsheva Ensemble, the company's junior division, and will be presented in the round. The performances include audience engagement.

DUAL RIVET
SUBSCRIPT

Buttenwieser Hall
Fri & Sat, Oct 18 & 19, 7:30 pm

DUAL RIVET, a women-led dance company known for their highly physical contemporary dance, was a runner up at the Future Dance Festival in 2022 and is now making their 92NY stage debut with SUBSCRIPT, a dynamic adaptation of their film In Capsule. With visceral imagery, dynamic movement, and complex partnering, the performance asks us to question: How much of our lives are controlled for us and how much control do we truly have? Do we ever fully understand the structures we are subscribing to?

BOCA TUYA

Omar Román De Jesús
Buttenwieser Hall
Thu & Fri, Nov 14 & 15, 7 pm
Omar Román De Jesús' Boca Tuya presents three thought provoking works: Caress them in a way that hurts a little, Hi are you like me, and Like those playground kids at midnight.

URBAN BUSH WOMEN

Solo Meditations  
Buttenwieser Hall
Fri & Sat, Dec 6 & 7, 7 pm

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the critically acclaimed and award-winning Urban Bush Women share an intimate evening created especially for 92NY, Solo Meditations. The evening celebrates solos and duets pulling from the iconic works within UBW's expansive 40-year legacy, looking at the past, while pushing the culture forward. Solo Meditations highlights the clarity, confidence and distinction of movement, while sharing the generosity of embodied stories, creating communal awareness, and connecting with the audience. Select works feature live music. 

NUT/CRACKED

The Bang Group
Kaufmann Concert Hall
Sat, Dec 14, 2 pm & 7 pm
Thu, Dec 19, 6:3 pm
Online: Fri, Dec 20, 12 pm - Mon, Dec 23, 12 pm

Nut/Cracked--The Bang Group's beloved, witty response to The Nutcracker--has enthralled audiences for more than two decades. Nut/Cracked takes its inspiration from all corners of the dance canon, from tap riffs to en pointe ballet, by way of bubble wrap, disco and take-out noodles. In Nut/Cracked, choreographer David Parker finds beauty in the ridiculous waltzing us through many incarnations of Tchaikovsky's score including versions by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller as well as the familiar orchestral suite. 

THE LIVING EARTH SHOW

Babatunji Johnson, dancer
The Living Earth Show
Babatunji Johnson, dancer
Lyra
Buttenwieser Hall
Sat, Dec 14, 7:30 pm
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is reimagined in this provocative, hauntingly beautiful collaborative production from the experimental San Francisco-based guitar/percussion duo The Living Earth Show. Blending music by Samuel Adams, choreography by Vanessa Thiessen, and cinematography by Benjamin Tarquin, Lyra explores themes of empathy, technology, and our relationship to the natural world in a stunning new realization of a timeless ancient story. Co-presented with Tisch Music.

CAROLYN DOFRMAN DANCE

The Legacy Project: A Dance of Hope
Buttenwieser Hall
Sat, Jan 11, 7 pm
Sun, Jan 12, 3 pm
The internationally renowned Carolyn Dorfman Dance presents works from the company's epic Legacy Project, a celebrated body of work that honors Dorfman's Eastern European roots, Jewish heritage, the Holocaust and the American immigrant experience. Carolyn Dorfman Dance has been a part of dance at 92NY for over two decades, where many of her works were first shared in process and performance.

Allison Miller

Rivers in Our Veins 
with special guest Michelle Dorrance
Kaufmann Concert Hall
Sun, Feb 2, 3 pm

Acclaimed drummer/composer, leader of modern jazz ensemble Boom Tic Boom, timekeeper of the jazz supergroup Artemis, rhythm machine behind Brandi Carlile, Sara Bareilles and others, Allison Miller brings her immersive multimedia work Rivers in Our Veins to 92NY with Michelle Dorrance, the award-winning dancer and dancemaker The New Yorker called “one of the most imaginative tap choreographers working today.” Inspired by the cultural diversity of America's waterways, the innovative, vibrant Americana work embraces the concept of flow and renewal, combining original jazz with percussive tap and video projections in a wholly original arts experience from two consummate rhythm makers. Co-presented with Tisch Music.

David Dorfman DANCE

Downtown to Uptown. Past to Forward
Kaufmann Concert Hall
Sat, Feb 8, 7 pm
Online: Sun, Feb 9, 12 pm - Wed, Feb 12 12 pm

For nearly 40 years David Dorfman has infused New York City's postmodern dance scene with highly athletic and deeply personal storytelling. Lightbulb Theory and Impending Joy , both from 2004, and subsequently performed at 92NY, will be danced by originating cast members Heather McArdle, Joe Poulson and Paul Matteson, with DDD alum Aya Wilson (and other surprise guests!) and current DDD company members Lily Gelfand, Diamond Laurant, Nik Owens, Claudia-Lynn Rightmire and Kashia Kancey. David Dorfman and Lisa Race will dive into duets past and present to mark the occasion of the Harkness Dance Center's 90th Anniversary Season as both institutions look to the past to move forward.

HARKNESS 90TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Mon, Mar 3 – Sun, Mar 9
A week of immersive experiences marks the 90th anniversary of the Harkness Dance Center – program TBA.

LADIES IN THE SHOE

Dormeshia
Buttenwieser Hall
Fri & Sat, Mar 21 & 22, 7 pm
In honor of Women's History Month, the one and only Dormeshia brings her Ladies in the Shoe back to The 92nd Street Y, New York.  The evening includes electrifying performances and captivating choreography by amazing female tap dancers and well-respected ambassadors of this art form.

FUTURE DANCE FESTIVAL

Thu, Apr 10, 7 pm – ONLINE
Fri, Apr 11, 7 pm – IN PERSON
Sat, Apr 12, 2 pm – IN PERSON
Buttenwieser Hall
The Future Dance Festival was launched during a global pandemic with the mission of building a bridge to connect the next generation of creators with the current generation of directors and industry leaders. Over the past three years, 42 diverse choreographers from 6 different continents became festival finalists. Each of these choreographers received access, through the Future Dance Festival , to a network of company directors and industry luminaries who are equally as invested in the future of dance as we are at 92NY. This investment in our collective future has led to choreographic opportunities such as commissions, grants and residencies for our past finalists.

UPTOWN RHYTHM DANCE FESTIVAL

Featuring Brenda Bufalino, Soles of Duende, Music From The Sole, Derick Grant, Nicholas Young, Max Pollak Group 25th Anniversary feat. Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Rachna Nivas, Jake Blount & Nic Gareiss, The Wondertwins and many more to be announced.
Co-presented by 92NY's Harkness Dance Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and Hi-ARTS.

92NY Programming Curated by Alison Manning & Caleb Teicher

Mon, Apr 21, 7 pm
Peter B. Lewis Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Tue, Wed & Thu, Apr 22, 23, & 24, 7 pm
Buttenwieser Hall

Fri, Apr 25, 7 pm
Kaufmann Concert Hall

Sat, Apr 26, 12 pm
Online

Sun, Apr 27, 7 pm
Peter B. Lewis Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim
Workshops at Hi-ARTS throughout the festival.

Join some of today's greatest talent and rising stars at the first annual Uptown Rhythm Dance Festival. This multi-night performance and workshop program, presented in an exciting collaboration between uptown neighbors 92NY's Harkness Dance Center, Works & Process at the Guggenheim and Hi-ARTS, illuminates the connections and individuality of rhythm-based dance forms including Tap, Hip Hop and street dance, Kathak, Flamenco, Appalachian flatfooting, Irish step dance, live music and more — a one-of-a-kind New York City immersion. 

LIMÓN DANCE COMPANY

Kaufmann Concert Hall
Wed & Thu, May 21 & 22, 7:30 pm
Our 90th Anniversary celebrations culminate with the premiere of a 92NY co-commission by world-renowned choreographer Aszure Barton with acclaimed composer Ambrose Akinmusire. Showcasing three generations of dance icons, this breathtaking collaboration traces the lines of inspiration from Doris Humphrey to José Limón to the present day, elevating the Limón legacy at 92NY.

About the Harkness Dance Center

The Harkness Dance Center was founded at 92NY in May, 1935, with Doris Humphrey as the first director. Right from the start, the center focused on the power of art to promote self-expression, creativity and societal engagement. The original faculty, including Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, Hanya Holm and Anna Sokolow, both performed and taught classes in modern dance techniques to 92NY members, expanding the art's reach to non-professionals.

For the past 90 years, the Harkness Dance Center has been a hub for a global community of dancers who gathered here to dance through the rhythm of their times, exploring fundamental questions of identity, society and humanity — and in doing so, created iconic works of American modern dance. Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, and Alvin Ailey are just a few of the legendary artists who created and premiered work on 92NY's stage.

Today, the Harkness Dance Center connects artists, audiences and students of dance like nowhere else in New York city. World-class dancers and choreographers in our Performances season lead classes and workshops for students.  Our School of Dance is recognized as the premiere destination for holistic dance instruction in New York City.  Our celebrated artist-in-residence program puts audiences at the leading edge of new ideas in movement. Our Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) leads the way in dance education by providing training and support so educators can experiment, create, learn and innovate.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: 

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Now celebrating its 150th  anniversary, 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit  www.92NY.org.