The Joyce Theater Announces Spring 2023 Season Featuring World Premieres & More

The Joyce Theater Foundation has announced the complete calendar of performances from renowned U.S. and international dance companies slated for The Joyce Theater's Spring 2023 season. Performing a roster of works from master choreographers and daring newcomers is a dazzling array of companies, from those making their Joyce debut to a stunning selection of formidable talent that has made this legendary stage New York's home for dance. Combining never-before-seen works and audience favorite repertory pieces, these titans of dance celebrate cultures and styles of movement the world over-from South Africa and India to Sri Lanka and New Zealand-as well as the distinct styles of some of the most lauded American dance makers, past and present. The Joyce's Spring 2023 season promises a showcase of unparalleled artistry, continuing the organization's legacy of bringing the best of the dance world to New York audiences.

International dance has always been center stage at the famed Chelsea venue, with the upcoming season being no exception. It launches with two weeks of Batsheva Dance Company's uncompromising performance quality, led by the bold choreographic voice of house choreographer Ohad Naharin. His evening-length Hora, set to music by electronic music pioneer Isao Tomita, places dancers in a futuristic folklore in which they embody the beauty of the struggle to remain distinct in togetherness. Making its Joyce debut, Atamira Dance Company brings the company's celebration of Māori voices around the globe to New York with Te Wheke-The Octopus-a powerful mythological symbol for many Oceanic peoples. Closer to home, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham returns to The Joyce stage with a repertory program highlighting his singular blend of multiple dance styles with social commentary. In addition to Abraham's distinct work, the evening will feature a world premiere of Uproot: love and legacy from former A.I.M company member Maleek Washington.

Other international highlights include the New York premiere of Āhuti, The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and Chitrasena Dance Company blend two South Asian cultures through dance, featuring classical Odissi dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka. Two evening-length works by South African choreographers will leave their stamp this season, celebrating stories steeped in two distinct African cultures. Gregory Vuyani Maqoma fuses the a cappella singing of the Zulu people with the novel Cion and a classical music masterpiece in Vuyani Dance Theatre's encore presentation of Cion: A Requiem of Ravel's Boléro. In The Sacrifice, Dada Masilo also puts her own stamp on classical music, expertly melding the traditional dance of Botswana with ballet and modern with touches of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring."

Three New York-based companies that are no stranger to The Joyce each boast a pair of world premiere works in repertory programs for the upcoming season. Nearing their 30th annual appearance, Parsons Dance showcases its dancers' extraordinary power in brand new works set to the music of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bill Withers and the driving percussion of Darryl Hoffman, along with beloved audience favorites. Along with re-envisioning and revivals of masterworks, Martha Graham Dance Company returns with world premieres by Baye & Asa and Annie Rigney. Following up its triumphant Fall 2021 Joyce debut, Gibney Company makes its first return appearance by pairing Johan Inger's Bliss with world premieres from Vancouver's Out Innerspace Dance Theatre co-artistic directors Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond and an utterly original creation from Yin Yue that blends Chinese classical and folk dance, ballet, and contemporary dance.

An outstanding selection of four New York dance institutions complete the lineup for The Joyce's Spring 2023 season. Trisha Brown Dance Company pays homage to the founder's collaborations with composer Alvin Curran, as well as staging the world premiere of Judith Sánchez Ruíz's Let's talk about bleeding, created in collaboration with the company's artists. Brooklyn's GALLIM will also stage a world premiere-a choreographic partnership between founder Andrea Miller and krumper Brian "HallowDreamz" Henry-alongside a selection of repertory works from the company's 15-year history. Ballet Tech Kids Dance also returns under the new artistic direction of Dionne Figgins, and Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana celebrates its 40th anniversary in an evening entitled El Cuadragésimo, featuring esteemed guest artists and company members who continue to carry the storied legacy of flamenco across the U.S. and around the world.

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

BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY

Hora

February 28-March 12

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, Mar 2

Tickets: $75; $55: $20; $10

Widely recognized as one of the foremost contemporary dance companies, Batsheva Dance Company returns to The Joyce Theater with Hora, choreographed by Ohad Naharin. "A green, disquieting, and hauntingly beautiful world," Hora is simultaneously primordial and futuristic. Moving bodies create an emergent folklore and embody the beauty of the struggle to distinguish oneself amongst a collective. With music arranged by electronic music pioneer Iso Tomita, Hora places the audience between the familiar and the foreign.

PARSONS DANCE

March 15-26

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

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, Mar 16

Family Matinee: Sat, Mar 25 at 2pm

Tickets: $65; $45: $20; $10

After nearly three decades of annual appearances, Parsons Dance returns to The Joyce with two world premieres showcasing the company's extraordinary power to engage audiences. Highlighting this season's program is a new David Parsons work performed to music by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bill Withers and a piece created by Rena Butler, set to a driving score by percussionist Darryl Hoffman. Parsons fans will also be treated to beloved repertory classics, with music providing compelling background to the dancers' skilled movement.

ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY

March 29-April 2

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, Mar 30

Family Matinee: Sun, Apr 2 at 2pm

Tickets: $65; $45: $20; $10

Press Contact: Billy Zavelson / Richard Kornberg & Associates, Billy@KornbergPR.com

A leader of Māori contemporary dance theater in New Zealand (Aotearoa), Atamira Dance Company creates works shaped by the cultural identity of their land to uplift indigenous world views through dance. In their Joyce debut, the company brings Te Wheke, which translates to The Octopus, a powerful, mythological symbol for many Oceanic peoples. Inspired by a Māori model of hauora (wellbeing) which frames the choreographic structure of solo and ensemble work, eight dancers and eight choreographic practitioners, tuakana (senior) and teina (emerging), journey into the esoteric and universal dimensions of humanity.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

April 4-9

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, Apr 5

Tickets: $65; $45; $20; $10

Contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, returns to The Joyce with a repertory program that shows his brilliance as an Artistic Director constantly innovating the industry. MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham will serve his signature postmodern gumbo - a unique blend of modern dance styles ranging from ballet to hip hop, seasoned with human stories and social commentary, that is fueling a new movement in the dance world. This incomparable ensemble will perform Abraham's pandemic creation Our Indigo: If We Were A Love Song, a dance exploration of the complexities of love set to a soul-stirring Nina Simone soundtrack. Audiences will also enjoy the world premiere of Uproot: love and legacy by Princess Grace Award winning choreographer and former A.I.M company member Maleek Washington. Princess Grace Award winning dancer Tamisha A. Guy will perform in the New York company premiere of Bebe Miller's legendary solo Rain, inspired by Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras #5 and sung by Salli Terri.

VUYANI DANCE THEATRE

Cion: A Requiem of Ravel's Boléro

April 12-16

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, Apr 13

Tickets: $55; $35; $20; $10

Physically charged and visually striking, Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro is a powerful work featuring live singing, choreographed by South African star Gregory Vuyani Maqoma. Set in a graveyard filled with the haunting music of Isicathamiya singers-an a cappella style originating from the Zulu people-the production draws inspiration from Zakes Mda's novel Cion and Maurice Ravel's Boléro. In Maqoma's words, the show is "a lament, a requiem required to awaken a part of us, the connection to the departed souls."

Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY

April 18-30

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

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, Apr 19

Gala: Thurs, Apr 20 at 7pm(*Not sure if this is needed here as well but it's in the brochure*)

University Partner Showcase: Sat, Apr 22 at 2pm

Family Matinee: Sun, Apr 30 at 2pm

Tickets: $75; $55: $20; $10

The Martha Graham Dance Company return to The Joyce as "spellbinding and prescient as ever" (The New York Times), with Graham classics framed by an incredible array of new works. The Company performs world premieres by Baye & Asa and Annie Rigney, alongside Hofesh Shechter's high-energy CAVE. A new generation of choreographers re-envisions Graham's innovations in the mesmerizing

Canticle for Innocent Comedians from lead choreographer Sonya Tayeh with Yin Yue, Jenn Freeman, Micaela Taylor, Juliano Nunes, Alleyne Dance, and Robert Cohan is performed to the heralded new score by jazz great Jason Moran. With their stunning mid-century sets by Isamu Noguchi, Graham's masterworks Cave of the Heart and Embattled Garden return to the stage. Her earliest comedy, Every Soul is a Circus and her compelling modernist ritual, Dark Meadow Suite, round out the programming.

TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY

May 2-7

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, May 3

Family Matinee: Sat, May 6 at 2pm

Tickets: $65; $45: $20; $10

Trisha Brown Dance Company returns with a program that pays homage to Brown's collaborations with composer Alvin Curran. For M.G.: The Movie (1991) is a haunting memorial to Michel Guy, the French Minister of Culture and first director of the annual Festival d'Automne à Paris. The guiding principles for this choreography are enigma and time - not measured time - but the perception of time and its inconsistency. Also featuring Curran's music is Brown's Rogues (2011), a poignant study in rhythm, timing, and kinesthetic transmission that marks a return to Brown's exploration of unembellished physicality. In celebration of Brown's dynamic legacy, the company will also present its first choreographic commission, Let's talk about bleeding, an original work by Cuban-born artist Judith Sánchez Ruíz with musical direction and composition by Adonis Gonzalez. Made in collaboration with the company dancers, the work places Brown's body of work in dialogue with contemporary artistic voices.

NRITYAGRAM + CHITRASENA

Āhuti

May 9-14

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, May 10

Tickets: $55; $35: $20; $10 (November 16-20, 2022)

Press Contact: TBA

The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in collaboration with the Chitrasena Dance Company presents the New York City premiere of Āhuti, a thrilling combination of classical Odissi dance from India and traditional Kandyan dance from Sri Lanka. Meaning "offering," Āhuti bridges the gap between distinct dance traditions of these South Asian cultures, in the second cross-cultural collaboration between these two acclaimed companies.

GIBNEY COMPANY

May 17-21

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, May 18

Tickets: $65; $45; $20; $10

Following its triumphant debut at The Joyce last season, New York's Gibney Company returns with a powerful program featuring two world premieres and Johan Inger's Bliss, an ode to the joy of dancing. Co-artistic directors of Vancouver's Out Innerspace Dance Theatre, Tiffany Tregarthen & David Raymond make their US debut with a new work commissioned for Gibney Company. Featuring rigorous, hyper-detailed movement, the work will meld dance and design into an inseparable and ambitious interdisciplinary collaboration. Acclaimed choreographer Yue Yin combines Chinese classical and folk dance, ballet, and contemporary dance movement into a completely unique creation. Her new work for Gibney Company features an original score of live music and recorded sound by Ryan Lott of the band Son Lux. Rounding out the program, Johan Inger's Bliss was inspired by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's legendary Köln Concert who is considered the epitome of virtuoso improvisation. Inger translates the essence of Jarrett's iconic music into dance that truly is a state of bliss.

DADA MASILO

The Sacrifice

MAY 23-28

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, May 24

Tickets: $65; $45; $20; $10

In The Sacrifice, South African choreographer Dada Masilo embodies the rituals of Tswana dance in a work inspired by composer Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." Masilo expands upon the concept of sacrifice, building a unique narrative by fusing ballet with modern and traditional dance to reimagine classic tales. The traditional dance of Botswana, Tswana dance is both rhythmic and expressive, rooted in storytelling and healing practices-a fertile base on which Masilo expertly melds disparate styles.

GALLIM

May 31-June 4

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

Curtain Chat: Thu, Jun 1

Tickets: $65; $45; $20; $10

GALLIM returns to The Joyce celebrating a 15-year prolific period of Artistic Director

and Founder, Andrea Miller's expansive, boundary-blurring, interdisciplinary work. Music pulsates throughout the program with newest works: FROM, a series of moody duets and trios that seem to animate a sunset's light and warmth drench; and Sama, a mass trance towards ecstasy -both set to the intoxicating tracks of Nicolas Jaar. Miller's captivating Duets for Jim, set to the music of legendary recording artist Sade, rounds out the program. In line with GALLIM's history of creative collaboration, the evening will also feature a world premiere collaboration between Andrea Miller and the "King of Krump," Brian "HallowDreamz" Henry.



Ballet Tech Kids Dance

June 8-11

Thu-Fri 7pm, Sat 2pm & 7pm, Sun 2pm

Tickets: $45; $25; $20; $10

The New York Times said "The Kids are Still Alright" after last year's joyful return of Kids Dance at The Joyce, under the leadership of new Artistic Director Dionne Figgins. This year, Kids Dance will return with a celebration of dance as a unifying force in American culture. The program will feature Eliot Feld's A Yankee Doodle, his rousing ode to the American spirit. Additional works will celebrate American music and pay homage to American choreographers, showcasing the breadth of dance - from modern to tap to ballet. And as always, there'll be a few special treats that Joyce audiences won't want to miss! Kids Dance 2023 will surely unite us through the power of dance.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

June 13-18

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

Curtain Chat: Wed, Jun 14

Family Matinee: Sat, Jun 17 at 2pm

Tickets: $55; $35: $20; $10

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana brings its unmistakable energy back to The Joyce with El Cuadragésimo, a celebración of forty years of carrying forward a storied legacy of flamenco in the United States. Highlighting the full spectrum of flamenco aesthetics, the company celebrates the traditional and the modern, with live music providing the energetic backdrop. The work features excerpts from last season's FRONTERAS, "an uncommonly deft balancing of the individual and the group in flamenco, and solid entertainment to boot" (The New York Times). Special guest appearances will be made by flamenco luminaries Andrés Peña and Maria Bermudez, who have performed with the Company over the past 40 years.

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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 Matinee series is as follows (Kids (ages 6-14) must be accompanied by an adult):

PARSONS DANCE

Saturday, March 25 at 2pm

ATAMIRA DANCE COMPANY

Sunday, April 2 at 2pm

Martha Graham DANCE COMPANY

Sunday, April 30 at 2pm

TRISHA BROWN DANCE COMPANY

Saturday, May 6 at 2pm

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

Saturday, June 17 at 2pm

ABOUT The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances - both digital and in-person - for audiences of over of 150,000.

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 $19 tickets). Joyce Members are entitled to the 25% discount on additional tickets purchased throughout the season. 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 January 3, 2023 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).