Ephrat Asherie Dance, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company & More Set for New Victory Dance 10th Anniversary Season

New 42 has announced that their annual free dance program, New Victory Dance, will return from July 12 through July 28 for another season of summertime performances for New York City kids. Every summer, New Victory Dance celebrates the artistry and diversity of NYC dance with affordable performances specifically curated for young audiences that feature a cross-section of internationally recognized New York City-based companies. New Victory Dance consists of three distinct programs showcasing three unique dance companies: each program will include free performances for summer schools and camps, as well as one public performance with tickets available for purchase for $13.

A range of renowned New York City dance companies, many of which are returning after prior runs, will perform onstage at the New Victory Theater this summer including: Ephrat Asherie Dance (NVD 2018), Barkha Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico Presents BHdos, Noche Flamenca (NVD 2015), Heidi Latsky Dance (NVD 2017), Sun Kim Dance Theatre (with Mozaik in NVD 2020 and 2021), Luke Hickey (with Caleb Teicher in NVD 2019), Monica Bill Barnes and Company (NVD 2014), and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

"Celebrating ten years this season, New Victory Dance has brought joy to over 30,000 young people over the last decade," said Mary Rose Lloyd, New 42 Artistic Director. "All of the participating NYC-based companies have the unique opportunity to introduce kids and families to the art form, and experience the immense energy and vitality in the theater when young people respond to their work."

New Victory Dance is in its landmark tenth season this year, representing a decade of expanding NYC children's knowledge and experience in dance and inspiring them to celebrate the art form. The program has partnered with a total of 73 dance companies in the last ten years. New Victory Dance was created for NYC students enrolled in Department of Education summer school enrichment programs, including NYCDOE Summer Rising, subsidized day camps and social service agencies, and offers benefits to partners including:

• FREE tickets to daytime dance performances in a historic theater
• FREE talkbacks with New Victory Dance choreographers and companies
• FREE dance-related workshops, held at the school/camp facility before or after students' visit to the theater, to deepen students' viewing experiences
• FREE New Victory School Tool® Resource Guides to support further exploration of the art form in the students' day-to-day curriculum

Click here for an overview of New Victory Education Partnerships.

In addition to the free daytime performances for New Victory Dance Summer Education Partnership students, an evening performance of each program will be made available to the general public at $13 per ticket. The full slate of programming can be found below.

Program A:

School/Day Camp Performances: July 12-14

Public Performance: July 13 at 7PM

• Ephrat Asherie Dance Underscored
• Barkha Dance Company Vignettes of Kathak
• Ballet Hispánico Presents BHdos Guajira

Program B:

School/Day Camp Performances: July 19-21

Public Performance: July 20 at 7PM

• Noche Flamenca The Horse that Fell from the Sky (Caballo Caido del Cielo)
• Heidi Latsky Dance After These Messages
• Sun Kim Dance Theatre Lost & Found

Program C:

School/Day Camp Performances: July 26-28

Public Performance: July 27 at 7PM

• Luke Hickey A Little Old, A Little New
• Monica Bill Barnes and Company The Running Show
• Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company "Festival" from Red Firecracker

All performances of New Victory Dance will take place at the New Victory Theater (209 West 42nd Street). New Victory Dance Education Partnerships are available free of charge to New York City day camps and school programs. For more information, please visit https://www.newvictory.org/schools/summer-partnerships/.

Tickets for public performances of New Victory Dance are $13 and are available online at NewVictory.org or by phone at 646-223-3010.

New Victory Dance is supported, in part, by a generous grant from the Blavatnik Family Foundation in honor of Dawdie Appelson, a teacher, arts enthusiast and life-long supporter of the performing arts. Other supporters include Jody and John Arnhold, the Arnhold Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and The Jerome Robbins Foundation.

About the Companies and Performances

Program A:

School/Day Camp Performances: select weekdays, July 12-14

Public Performance: July 13 at 7PM

EPHRAT ASHERIE DANCE

UNDERSCORED

Rooted in African American and Latine street and club dances, Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) explores the expansive narrative qualities of various vernacular forms including breaking, hip hop, house and vogue. EAD has presented work at the Apollo Theater, Jacob's Pillow, Joyce Theater, NY City Center and Works & Process at the Guggenheim, among others.

Inspired by the intergenerational club-life stories of a cast ranging in age from 28 to 80, UNDERSCORED explores the ever-changing physical and musical landscape of New York City's underground dance community.

BARKHA DANCE COMPANY

Vignettes of Kathak

Barkha Dance Company is a kathak dance organization that upholds the traditional lineage of kathak while uncovering new movement possibilities and means of storytelling within the form. The company has performed at venues such as Dance Theatre Harlem, Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out, Joyce Theatre and Little Island Dance Festival.

This evocative dance piece embraces several elements of Indian musical expression, such as Hindustani classical notes, live singing and recitation of rhythmic compositions, rounded off with melodic use of syllables from the tabla and sitar.

BALLET HISPÁNICO PRESENTS BHdos

Guajira

Handpicked by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the talented dancers of Ballet Hispánico's Second Company form bridges: between the School of Dance and the professional Company, between Ballet Hispánico and the community, and between their own training and careers in dance. Performing some Ballet Hispánico's most beloved repertory, BHdos dancers bring Latina/o/x cultures to diverse communities throughout the nation.

This ballet with a Latin beat is inspired by choreographer Pedro Ruiz's memories of his childhood in the Cuban countryside, reflecting both the beauty and the struggle of peasant life, set to a blend of Afro-Cuban and flamenco music.

Program B:

School/Day Camp Performances: select weekdays, July 19-21

Public Performance: July 20 at 7PM

Noche Flamenca

The Horse that Fell from the Sky (Caballo Caido del Cielo)

Based on Disparate Puntual by Francisco Goya

Under the direction of Martin Santagelo, the award-winning Noche Flamenca is recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today, hailed by critics everywhere for its transcendent and deeply emotional performances. Formed in 1993 by Santangelo and his wife, Soledad Barrio, the company tours across the globe including regular seasons in New York City, and performances in North and South America, Europe and Australia.

A visit to a museum to see the paintings of Francisco Goya led this company to bring his artwork into the deeply emotional world of flamenco dance and music, including this rhythmic response to a dreamlike etching of an acrobat balancing on a horse as a crowd cheers on.

HEIDI LATSKY DANCE

After These Messages (Excerpt)

Heidi Latsky Dance disrupts space, dismantles normal, and redefines beauty and virtuosity through innovative performance and discourse. A New York-based, female-run organization, HLD was founded in 2001 and has gone through different creative phases. Currently, the focus is on expanding into interactive technology through collaborations with entities like Google Creative Lab, Fashion Institute of Technology and Evolving Technologies.

Disabled and non-disabled artists from this physically integrated company move beyond barriers, boundaries and belief to celebrate their differences with striking poses and sweeping motions that showcase each dancer's individuality.

SUN KIM DANCE THEATRE

Lost and Found (Excerpt)

Founded by its Director, Sun Kim, SKDT explores the possibilities of Popping alongside storytelling to speak directly of universal human experiences. Sun Kim Dance Theatre, a platform for underrepresented artists, has performed at LayeRhythm/Works & Process, MOPTOP Anniversary, San Francisco International Hip-Hop Dance Festival and Ladies of Hip-Hop Festival.

Have you ever felt lost in your thoughts, as if on an island alone, trying to find a way back? Guided by spoken word and Popping-based moves, this captivating piece for five dancers takes you on a journey of self-discovery to find out what it truly means to be found.

Program C:

School/Day Camp Performances: select weekdays, July 26-28

Public Performance: July 27 at 7PM

Luke Hickey

A Little Old, A Little New (Excerpt)

The NYC-based tap dancer, choreographer and actor Luke Hickey was on Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" list in 2020-just two years after making his choreographic/directorial debut with his work A Little Old, A Little New at Birdland Jazz Club. His work has been performed across the country, including at Jacob's Pillow, American Dance Festival, and The Joyce Theater's season at Chelsea Factory.

This high-energy percussive revue accentuates the powerful connection between tap dancers and jazz musicians in syncopated conversation. Featuring a delicious smorgasbord of songs, old and new, from "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby" to Kanye West's "Runaway."

Monica Bill Barnes AND COMPANY

The Running Show (Excerpt)

Founded in 1997, this NYC-based dance company began with a collection of solos that could be performed anywhere. Barnes has since collaborated with many artists in developing relatable work with a subversive sense of humor. Since 2013, Monica Bill Barnes and Company has been co-led by Monica and Robbie Saenz de Viteri with the mission to "bring dance where it doesn't belong." Their work has traveled from Off-Broadway to the Sydney Opera House and many places in between.

Full of rigorous athletic movement, The Running Show is a live documentary about the life of a dancer. Robbie Saenz de Viteri and Monica Bill Barnes create a work that combines movement and language in surprising ways inviting the audience to see the dancer as a new kind of sports hero.

NAI-NI CHEN DANCE COMPANY

"Festival" from Red Firecracker

Led by a triumvirate of women, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company provides innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the Asian immigrant's journey. New works are developed with dancers and choreographers from diverse backgrounds, and the company also preserves a variety of festive dances from different regions of China.

Created especially for family audiences, "Festival" is the explosive finale of the Company's flagship production Red Firecrackers. The choreographer uses dazzling props, colorful costumes, mesmerizing music, fantastic acrobatics and lively traditional dance to showcase the spectacle of the Lunar New Year celebration.