The Joyce Theater Announces Fall '21/Winter '22 Season of Live Performances

Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation, announced today the return of in-person programming at the New York City dance organization's home with its Fall 2021/Winter 2022 season. After 18 months of reimagining dance for a digital audience at home, the beacon for dance artists around the world will reopen its doors for audiences in September with a full slate of breathtaking performances from renowned companies, in styles ranging from tap, swing, traditional South Indian, and Indigenous American to modern, contemporary, and classical ballet (both parody and traditional). With over a dozen world premieres on deck from both Joyce debuts and longstanding annual engagements, The Joyce's Fall '21/Winter '22 season is poised to deliver on their promise to dance again.

The season's offerings kick-off with the evening-length Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim from Ragamala Dance Company, returning to The Joyce for the first time since 2017. Co-creators Renae Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy use Bharatanatyam, a traditional South Indian form, as a means to bridge the ancient Hindu thought of the life-death-life continuum to the current-day experience of life and death in the Indian diaspora. Two world premiere Joyce Theater Productions follow in quick succession, courtesy of a pair of renowned artists well-versed in vastly different styles. Alejandro Cerrudo, Pacific Northwest Ballet's first Resident Choreographer, makes his Joyce debut pushing ballet to its limits in It Starts Now. Putting his dancers' virtuosity on full display, Cerrudo breaks theatrical barriers in this heightened exploration of the nonlinear nature of time. Swing sensation Caleb Teicher follows with an ever-fresh combination of Lindy Hop and improvised social dance in the premiere of Swing Out, created in collaboration with their trusted cohort of artists Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, Nathan Bugh, and Macy Sullivan.

Several artists and companies will make highly anticipated returns to The Joyce throughout the Fall '21/Winter '22 season. Widely known by their colloquial name The Trocks, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo return once more for their biennial blockbuster three-week holiday engagement. The men en pointe will offer up a program of hilarious audience favorites, along with the world premiere of Nightcrawlers, which spoofs Jerome Robbins' In the Night. Only one artist can follow the indelible Trocks, and the darling daughter of tap Ayodele Casel is more than prepared to step into the spotlight. Following a virtual run with The Joyce in April 2021, she brings her latest work, Chasing Magic, to in-person audiences, celebrating both her long-established and newly minted artistic collaborators. Lucinda Childs' dazzling DANCE, an enduring work more than 40 years after its premiere, will grace The Joyce stage once more this season. Accompanied by the original commissioned Philip Glass score, nine dancers mirror with stunning precision footage of the original company executing this geometric exploration of repetition.

Nine of the season's world premieres are split between four companies-three annual Joyce seasons and one newly relaunched organization. The Martha Graham Dance Company returns with a pair of programs, including the newly recovered Graham solo Immediate Tragedy and the world premiere of Andrea Miller's Umbra, set to an original soundscape by frequent collaborator Will Epstein. COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet is poised to present the premiere of SNATCHED BACK from the EDGES, along with an encore of the Lenny Kravitz-scored LOVE ROCKS and a compilation of company shorts in Truly, Madly, Deeply. Adding three world premieres to the tally is the freshly reimagined Gibney Company, with twelve performers lending their talents to new works by Tony Award nominee Sonya Tayeh, the U.S. debut of Alan Lucien Øyen, and the first work by inaugural Gibney Choreographic Associate Rena Butler. Presenting an impressive four premieres is none other than Parsons Dance in their annual two-week Joyce season. Two of the new works are by founder David Parsons, including a solo for the indomitable Zoey Anderson, as well as PastTense from BalletX co-founder Matthew Neenan and Chanel DaSilva's On the Other Side.

Woven into the fabric of The Joyce's mission is the organization's commitment to lifting marginalized voices and bodies within the dance world, and this season is no exception. AXIS Dance Company continues to remove barriers for disabled and non-disabled dancers in order to create a radically inclusive art form in their digital Joyce debut with Roots Above Ground, a deep dive into the human need to belong. In Accommodating Lie, artists of Colombia-based Sankofa Danzafro dismantle stereotypes of the black body and reclaim the representation of Afro-descendant communities through a series of emotional solos and duets.

Companies with roots in all parts of the United States will bring their talents to the legendary Chelsea venue this season. American Dance Platform returns in 2022 in its sixth iteration, curated this year by Los Angeles Philharmonic Chief Content and Engagement Officer Ranae Williams Niles. New York-based but exuding international style and flair, Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca are set to return to The Joyce with an evening that promises all the grandeur and passion inherent in flamenco. Perhaps with deeper and greater ties to the land than any, the Native American and Canadian collective Indigenous Enterprise makes their Joyce debut this fall, paying tribute to traditional elders with their explosive dance, vibrant regalia, and heart-pounding traditional drumming.

The Joyce rounds out the Fall '21/Winter '22 season with its hallmark of international dance, heading into their 40th anniversary year with companies from around the world. One of the first Joyce engagements to be sidelined by the Covid-19 shutdown in 2020, Cuba's Malpaso Dance Company returns to their home away from home with a program featuring Mats Ek's woman with water, Robyn Mineko Williams' Elemental, and Nana Para un Insomnia, created by Malpaso's own Daileidys Carrazana. Choreographer Botis Seva and his dynamic company Far From The Norm bring their Olivier Award-winning production BLKDOG across the pond, blending hip hop and freeform in this childlike artist's quest to survive adulthood. Capping off the season with the conclusion of their own trilogy on love, Sharon Eyal and L-E-V dive into the depths of human emotion in Chapter Three: The Brutal Journey of the Heart, finding both the tenderness and callousness it takes to heal the human heart.

For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, please visit www.Joyce.org.

The following is a complete roster of companies who will appear at The Joyce Theater this fall and winter:

RAGAMALA DANCE COMPANY

Fires of Varanasi: Dance of the Eternal Pilgrim

September 22-26

Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Thu, Sept 23

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

Blending the ancient with the contemporary, Ragamala Dance Company uses the traditional South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam as the basis for sharing their immigrant experiences. Their newest evening-length performance, Fires of Varanasi, is an immersive ritual where time is suspended and humans merge with the divine. Creators Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy imagine a metaphorical crossing place that enters into the world of immortality, bringing the Hindu continuum of life cycles into the present immigrant experience of life and death in the diaspora.

Alejandro Cerrudo

It Starts Now

A Co-Production of Alejandro Cerrudo & Joyce Theater Productions

September 28-October 3

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Sept 29

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Award-winning contemporary ballet dancer and Pacific Northwest Ballet's first Resident Choreographer, Alejandro Cerrudo makes his debut at The Joyce with the world premiere of It Starts Now, a silky, cerebral, and virtuosic work, pushing balletic vocabulary to its most satisfying heights. The evening is an exploration of moments and the nonlinear nature of time, with dancers deconstructing the space of the theater, turning flooring and lights into dance partners in this dramatic, mind-bending work.

SWING OUT

A Joyce Theater Production

October 5-17

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Oct 6

Family Matinee: Sat, Oct 9 at 2pm

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Acclaimed choreographer Caleb Teicher brings the best of the swing dance world to The Joyce, with live music by Eyal Vilner Big Band. Conceived by Teicher alongside their brain trust of collaborators Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, Nathan Bugh, and Macy Sullivan, Swing Out features exuberant Lindy Hop choreography paired with improvisation. Each performance concludes with an on-stage jam session, inviting audiences to join in the fun!

Lucinda Childs

DANCE

October 19-24

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Oct 20

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Hailed as a master of minimalism and one of America's greatest modern choreographers, Lucinda Childs returns with her evening-length masterpiece, DANCE, the 1979 collaboration between three seminal artists. Featuring original music by Philip Glass and film decor by Sol LeWitt, this enduring work layers patterns and repetition as nine dancers perfectly synchronize with projections of the original company. More than 40 years later, DANCE is as thrilling as ever, with Childs' precise choreography transcending time and space.

Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY

October 26-31

Tue 7pm, Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7:30pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Oct 27

Tickets: $75, $55, $20, $10

The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates the return to the theater with two joyous programs. The world premiere of Umbra by Andrea Miller kicks off the season, bringing boundless energy to the stage inspired by the rhythms, speeds, and surges of nonhuman life, set to a soundscape by Will Epstein. Graham classics Appalachian Spring and Diversion of Angels lead the way to a program of rare offerings and premieres, including the return of Pam Tanowitz's Untitled (Souvenir) to the repertory, the signature Elisa Monte duet Treading, and the newly recovered Graham solo Immediate Tragedy. Rounding out the program is Graham's homage to the power of women, Steps in the Street.

GIBNEY COMPANY

November 2-7

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Nov 3

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

Press Contact: Meghan Sprenger / Polskin Arts & Communications Counselors,

Featuring a new collective of twelve powerhouse performers, the reimagined Gibney Company redefines the contemporary repertory company with three stunning world premieres. Newly minted Tony Award nominee Sonya Tayeh shares a powerful and timely work that celebrates change, truth, and resilience, featuring a commissioned score and live music by The Bengsons. Renowned in Europe for his theatrical and visceral style, Norwegian choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen makes his US debut in the program, completed with Rena Butler's first theatrical work for Gibney as the company's inaugural Choreographic Associate.

INDIGENOUS ENTERPRISE

November 9-14

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Nov 10

Family Matinee: Sun, Nov 14 at 2pm

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

The beat of the drum continues in the 21st century with Indigenous Enterprise, a Native American and Canadian collective that first stunned crowds at the Sydney Opera House in 2018 with their explosively jubilant dance and colorful regalia honoring the legacies of their elders. Indigenous Liberation is an intertribal production featuring songs, stories, and dances from all over Turtle Island, led by champion pow wow dancers. This new work will highlight traditional pow wow categories such as Men's Fancy War Dance (Ponca), Jingle Dress (Ojibwa), Hoop (Taos Pueblo), Chicken Dance (Blackfoot), Flute (Cree) and Grass Dance (Omaha), in a celebration of what lies at the heart of these powerful traditions.

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet

November 16-28

Week 1: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Week 2: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Nov 17

Family Matinee: Sat, Nov 20 at 2pm

Tickets: $75, $55, $20, $10

Now in its 27th season, COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet returns to The Joyce with its signature boundary-breaking style. The evening features the world premiere of SNATCHED BACK from the EDGES, a testament to the indelible human spirit set to spoken word from the film Black is Beautiful and music ranging from Beethoven to Aloe Blacc. The company brings back the retro-style ballet LOVE ROCKS, set to the iconic music of Lenny Kravitz, along with Truly, Madly, Deeply, a compilation of pieces that captures the infinite beauty and grit of the heart.

PARSONS DANCE

November 30-December 12

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Dec 1

Family Matinee: Sat, Dec 4 at 2pm

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Parsons Dance returns for their annual season at The Joyce with four dazzling new works. Two David Parsons premieres lead the way, with The Road set to the music of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Balance of Power, a new solo created for Zoey Anderson, performed with live percussion by Giancarlo de Trizio. BalletX co-founder Matthew Neenan premieres the full company work PastTense alongside Chanel DaSilva's debut of On the Other Side, rounded out by the return of the signature Parsons piece, Caught.

AXIS Dance Company

Virtual Performance

Premieres Tuesday, December 7 at 5pm

Available On Demand through Sunday, December 12

FREE

Making its premiere on The Joyce's digital stage, AXIS Dance Company explores the multiple meanings of home and the human need for belonging. In Roots Above Ground, choreographer and AXIS Artistic Director Marc Brew delves into his own emotional journey as a disabled, gay, immigrant man and dancer, following his limitless ambition while longing to belong. Brew is joined by six disabled and non-disabled company dancers for this piece that taps into the human need to be accepted and how this yearning is intertwined with our perceptions of home.

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE Monte Carlo

December 14-January 2

Week One: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 3pm & 8pm, Sun 3pm

Week Two: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 3pm, Sun 3pm & 7:30pm

Week Three: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 3pm & 7pm, Sun 3pm & 7:30pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Dec 15

Family Matinee: Sat, Dec 18 at 3pm

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

The beloved troupe of male dancers, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, returns to The Joyce for another uproarious holiday season. Fresh from its episode on the acclaimed PBS documentary series American Masters, the company takes the stage for three weeks of nonstop skilled pointe work and hilarious lampooning of classical ballet, highlighted by the world premiere of Nightcrawlers, a parody of Jerome Robbins' In the Night set to nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin.

Ayodele Casel

Chasing Magic

January 4-9

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Jan 5

Family Matinee: Sat, Jan 8 at 2pm

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Tap dance trailblazer Ayodele Casel captures the spark of connection and creation in her latest work, Chasing Magic. Directed by longtime collaborator Torya Beard, this exploration of the magic of both tap dance and everyday life returns to The Joyce for in-person performances following a successful virtual run in 2021. Welcoming old and new musical collaborators into the mix, Chasing Magic celebrates the endurance of artistic encounters, featuring performances by jazz musician Arturo O'Farrill, singer/songwriter Crystal Monree Hall, percussionist Senfu Stoney, and tap artists John Manzari, Naomi Funaki, and Anthony Morigerato.

AMERICAN DANCE PLATFORM

January 11-16

Program A: Tue 7:30pm, Sun 2pm

Program B: Wed 7:30pm, Sat 8pm

Program C: Thu-Fri 8pm

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

The sixth annual American Dance Platform, dedicated to the memory of Theodore S. Bartwink of the Harkness Foundation for Dance, brings together some of the best dance companies from across the country. Featuring six companies hand-picked by this year's curator, Renae Williams Niles, the Chief Content and Engagement Officer at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the newest edition of ADP brings American dance together in New York City once again.

MALPASO DANCE COMPANY

A Joyce Theater Production

January 19-23

Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7:30pm

Curtain Chat: Thu, Jan 20

Family Matinee: Sat, Jan 22 at 2pm

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

Cuba's celebrated Malpaso Dance Company returns to its New York home in a program that highlights the precision of its classically trained dancers. The evening includes woman with water, an intimate work by Mats Ek; Elemental, a spellbinding dance by Robyn Mineko Williams; and Nana Para un Insomnio (Lullaby for Insomnia), created by Malpaso's own Daileidys Carrazana.

Soledad Barrio + Noche Flamenca

January 25-February 6

Week One: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7:30pm

Week Two: Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Drawing from New York's cultural landscape, Noche Flamenca Artistic Director Martín Santangelo and lead dancer and choreographer Soledad Barrio have created an evening that celebrates life, as dancers and audiences are brought together once again. Joined by the masterful artistry of its company members, Barrio and Noche Flamenca bring the heart of flamenco back into the spotlight with a night of pure grandeur.

BLKDOG

Botis Seva + Far From The Norm

February 8-13

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Feb 9

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

Vital and gripping, BLKDOG is choreographer Botis Seva's haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist. A genre-defying blend of hip hop dance and free form antics, the Olivier Award-winning production explores the inner battlefield of an aging artist trying to retain his youth. Performed by his powerhouse company Far From the Norm, BLKDOG searches for coping mechanisms in the ultimate hunt for acceptance.

SANKOFA DANZAFRO

Accommodating Lie

February 15-20

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Feb 16

Family Matinee: Sun, Feb 20 at 2pm (for ages 15+)

Tickets: $55, $35, $20, $10

Colombia-based Sankofa Danzafro showcases powerful Afro-Colombian and Afro-contemporary dance with live music and singing. In Accommodating Lie, a full-length work by Rafael Palacios, dancers seek to dismantle stereotypes about and around the black body through a series of emotional solos and duets. Embodying decades of slavery, racism, and the "exotic" label assigned to black bodies by Western colonizing culture, seven dancers reaffirm the need for self-representation of Afro-descendent communities and reclaim their own history.

L-E-V

Chapter Three: The Brutal Journey of the Heart

February 22-27

Tue-Wed 7:30pm, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Wed, Feb 23

Tickets: $65, $45, $20, $10

Choreographer Sharon Eyal explores the unexpected yet wonderful ways we heal from wounds of the heart in Chapter Three: The Brutal Journey of the Heart. Set to Ori Lichtik's original soundscape, L-E-V creates an atmosphere pulsating with sensual movement, demonstrating the power of human sensitivity in the company's final installment in a trilogy on love.

CURTAIN CHATS

The Joyce Theater holds free post-performance dialogues with artistic directors and/or company members following designated performances. These dialogues are open to all audience members attending that evening's performance.

FAMILY MATINEES

The Joyce invites young audiences and grown-ups to experience renowned companies together and to enjoy a special opportunity to meet the artists following the performances. Kids' tickets are only $10. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Kids (ages 6-14) attending at least three family matinees automatically become Joyce Junior members and save 40% on the price of their tickets - that's $10 reduced to only $6. Joyce Junior members get a special backstage tour of The Joyce, a t-shirt, and gift coupons, created just for them.

This fall/winter season's Family Performance series is as follows (Kids (ages 6-14) must be accompanied by an adult):

SWING OUT

Saturday, October 9 at 2pm

INDIGENOUS ENTERPRISE

Sunday, November 14 at 2pm

COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet

Saturday, November 20 at 2pm

PARSONS DANCE

Saturday, December 4 at 2pm

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE Monte Carlo

Saturday, December 18 at 3pm

Ayodele Casel: CHASING MAGIC

Saturday, January 8 at 2pm

MALPASO DANCE COMPANY

Saturday, January 22 at 2pm

SANKOFA DANZAFRO

Sunday, February 20 at 2pm

TICKET PRICES AND MEMBER INFORMATION

To become a Joyce Member, ticket buyers simply purchase tickets to four different companies at the same time and they automatically save 25% on tickets (not applicable for $10 or $20 tickets). Joyce Members are entitled to the 25% discount on additional tickets purchased throughout the season - through August 21, 2022. For more information on becoming a Joyce Member, please visit www.Joyce.org or call JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Single tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 9 at noon. Single ticket prices range from $10-$75. Tickets can be purchased by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at the Box Office (Monday - Sunday 12-6pm), or online by visiting www.Joyce.org. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street).