The Joyce Theater Unveils Fall '24/Winter '25 Season Of Dance

Renowned U.S. and international dance companies are slated for The Joyce Theater's Fall ‘24/Winter ‘25 season. Taking audiences on a choreographic journey from September through February, the impressive lineup of talent boasts a dozen-and-a-half engagements from companies with longstanding annual seasons, those making their Joyce debut, and plenty in between. A healthy dose of premieres—from around the world, U.S., and New York City—populate programs throughout the six months of breathtaking dance, alongside works from master choreographers, and more. In styles ranging from traditional Indian to classical ballet, disciplined contemporary to athletic capoeira, The Joyce once again delivers one of the most diverse seasons of dance anywhere and maintains its reputation as a destination for both celebrated international companies and sought-after U.S. talent. With pieces and performances from remarkably talented creators and collaborators, the Fall ‘24/Winter ‘25 season at The Joyce promises another half-year of unparalleled artistry brought right to the front door of New York audiences and visitors alike.

As part of its first international tour in over 30 years, London City Ballet opens The Joyce's Fall ‘24/Winter ‘25 season with an homage to the company's early days while forging a path forward in its latest chapter of ballet and contemporary dance. The mixed bill features four U.S. premieres from the likes of Arielle Smith, Liam Scarlett, Ashley Page, and Christopher Marney. Both Garth Fagan Dance and GALLIM carry the gauntlet of presenting premieres later in the season. Among the highlights in Garth Fagan Dance's program is Artistic Director Norwood Pennewell's The Rite of Spring, offering audiences an intimate look into Shaman class rituals. In its New York premiere of WONDERLAND, Andrea Miller's GALLIM uses the fierce physicality of its dancers to examine the animal instincts and social appetites that feed our pack mentality as humans. 

A pair of companies with especially close institutional ties to The Joyce Theater make return appearances in the upcoming season. Brooklyn's Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE will present two landmark revivals, one from its nearly 40-year repertory and a company premiere. Brown's own masterpiece, Grace, is celebrated with a 25th anniversary performance, accompanied by Serving Nia, a thematic sequel to its companion piece for the evening as Brown answers the call to serve a higher purpose than oneself. The following week, Cuba's Malpaso Dance Company returns for its eighth Joyce engagement in the twelve years since the company's founding, serving up precision and passion in a program of premiere commissions from its own local artists.

The 2024 holiday season at The Joyce will be a veritable feast of two audience favorites. Caleb Teicher and their collaborators return with a special holiday revival of the recent smash success SW!NG OUT. With live music by the Eyal Vilner Big Band, these Lindy Hop champions invite audiences to don their jolly apparel and celebrate the joy of the season with A Very SW!NG OUT Holiday through December 15. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo immediately picks up the baton of celebration two days later for a three-week, two-program engagement to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary season. Eschewing traditional gender norms of dance, this foremost comic ballet company delivers talent and parody in spades, including in the New York premiere of Durante Verzola's Symphony, inspired by George Balanchine's Symphony in C. 

A trio of international companies will bring a diverse offering of dance styles and subject matters to The Joyce stage throughout the season. Olivier Award-winning choreographer Botis Seva and his company Far From The Norm make their Joyce debut with the evening-length BLKDOG, a hyper-physical, emotionally charged hip-hop dance performance that reveals the vicious connection between self-discovery and self-destruction. The following week, Joyce audiences are transported to South Africa, the home country of Dada Masilo, where the acclaimed choreographer has set her inventive reimagining of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Hamlet featuring a powerhouse cast of dancers, actors, and musicians. Critically acclaimed Compagnie Hervé KOUBI returns to The Joyce this winter with its hallmark gravity-defying blend of movement styles in What The Day Owes To The Night, the evening-length work that traces the founder's Algerian lineage and with which the company made its Joyce debut in 2018.

Closer to home, Camille A. Brown & Dancers expound on the namesake choreographer's trilogy on Black identity and joy with the New York premiere of I AM. While the previous three works disrupt the audience's understanding of the past, Brown's latest piece—inspired by the TV series “Lovecraft Country”—makes bold inquiries into the future. Dayton Contemporary Dance Company also honors Black culture and choreographic voices in its return to The Joyce this season, along with adding historic modern works to its repertoire—chief among them Paul Taylor's exuberant Esplanade, making DCDC the first African American dance company to add the masterwork to their catalog of impressive works. Philadelphia's premiere contemporary ballet company, BalletX, makes another appearance on the storied Chelsea stage, marking nearly 130 world premiere ballets since its founding in 2005 and inspiring human connection every step of the way.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, Complexions Contemporary Ballet marks the occasion with a two-week season at The Joyce, presenting a retrospective of co-founder Dwight Rhoden's choreographic legacy. Along with the company premiere of Rhoden's take on Ravel's masterful Bolero, the company will also stage 30, an anniversary tribute ballet with spoken word from Resident PoetJournalist Aaron Dworkin. Not to be outdone, Limón Dance Company hits 78 years and counting of honoring and highlighting the formative experiences that shaped its founder's approach to dance and storytelling, evident in the first return of his playful quartet Scherzo in 45 years, staged in the same program with a world premiere from Kayla Farrish. Award-winning, world-renowned dancer Sergio Bernal brings his signature power and poise blending of flamenco and ballet to the stage in a work of his own incredible creation. No stranger to the stage of The Joyce, traditional Indian dance will play a significant role in the upcoming season. Headed by mother and daughters, the trio of Aparna, Ranee, and Ashwini Ramaswamy, Ragamala Dance Company returns with their latest work Children of Dharma, drawing inspiration from Keerthik Sashidharan's novel The Dharma Forest, itself a re-envisioning of the epic text, The Mahabharata. The company upholds Bharatanatyam dance as a spiritual practice and an embodiment of the immigrant experience.

Closing out the season, acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan imbues his newest work, the highly anticipated GIGENIS: The generation of the Earth, with his distinct voice that advocates for cross-cultural encounters. In our rapidly changing world, Khan stages this testament to the enduring resonance of tradition.

The following is a complete roster of companies who will appear at The Joyce Theater next fall and winter. Please note that all evening curtain times will be at 7:30pm.

London City Ballet

September 17-22

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

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, September 18

Tickets: $12-72$ (including fees)

Embarking on its first international tour in over 30 years, London City Ballet presents the best of British ballet and contemporary dance, paying homage to the company's early beginnings and forging a path forward in this new chapter. The former resident company of Sadler's Wells, London City Ballet brings four U.S. premieres during its Joyce season. Olivier Award-winning choreographer Arielle Smith offers a new creation which pushes the boundaries of dance theater. Liam Scarlett's emotive Consolations & Liebestraum features a live music performance of Liszt's piano concerto, while Ashley Page's graceful Larina Waltz amplifies Tchaikovsky's carefree melodies. Closing the program, Eve by Christopher Marney zeroes in on the exchange between Eve and The Serpent, an intimate look at the biblical tale from her perspective. 

BalletX

September 25-29

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

Family Matinee: Saturday, September 28

Curtain Chat: Thursday, September 26

Tickets: $12-72$ (including fees)

Philadelphia's premier contemporary ballet company, BalletX is hailed as an "epicenter of creation" by Dance Magazineand a "place of choreographic innovation" by The New Yorker. The trailblazing company offers extraordinary dance experiences that inspire human connection, crafted by choreographers from around the world. This season, BalletX returns with three New York premieres that expand on the ballet form, including Takehiro Ueyama's Heroes. Led by Christine Cox, the company has commissioned nearly 130 world premiere ballets by over 75 choreographers in its 18-year history, standing as a testament to BalletX's commitment to artistic excellence.

Dayton Contemporary Dance Company

October 1-6

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

Family Matinee: Saturday, October 5 

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, October 2

Tickets: $12-62$ (including fees)

Since 1968, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) has championed a movement legacy rooted in the African-American experience. The company returns to The Joyce with three electrifying works that uplift Black choreographic voices and integrate historic modern dance works. Ray Mercer's energetic This I Know For Sure reveals the creative dialogue between a choreographer and the dancers, giving a peek into an artist's mind. Paying homage to the renowned painter Jacob Lawrence and his portrayals of Black life in America, Rennie Harris' Jacob's Ladder focuses on Lawrence's scenes of urban life. Melding streetdance storytelling with music by Zap Mama, Harris captures Lawrence's “freedom of voice, mind, and body.” In a historic restaging, DCDC becomes the first African American dance company to welcome Paul Taylor's 1975 exuberant masterpiece Esplanade into its repertoire. “Part of the beauty of dance is it's held in the vessel of the dancers,” says Chief Executive and Artistic Director Debbie Blunden-Diggs. “For me, it broadens the scope of who DCDC is as a repertory African-American dance company.”

Botis Seva | Far From The Norm

BLKDOG

October 9-13

Wed-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm 

Curtain Chat: Thursday, October 10

Tickets: $12-62$ (including fees)

Led by Olivier Award-winning choreographer Botis Seva, the London-based company Far From The Norm (FFTN) makes its Joyce debut with BLKDOG, an emotionally charged Hip-Hop dance performance that reveals the vicious connection between self-discovery and self-destruction. Hyper-physical movement propels audiences through a chilling landscape of the inner psyche. Seva delves into the underbelly of life in a beautifully brutal commentary on how today's youth cope within an unjust society. A brooding score of original music and text by composer Torben Sylvest accompanies lighting design by Tom Visser and costumes by Ryan Dawson Laight. “A powerful evocation of alienation, oppression, and memory” (The Guardian), BLKDOG is Seva's tribute to finding one's sense of peace amidst trauma and grief.

Dada Masilo

Hamlet

October 15-20

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

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, October 16

Tickets: $12-72$ (including fees)

In an inventive reimagining of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy, Dada Masilo's Hamlet transforms The Bard's complex wordplay into a compelling work of dance theater. This U.S. premiere of Masilo's Hamlet takes place in urban South Africa, where royalty and retinue embark on a fraught journey where all is not as it appears. Imbued with dark humor, elegance, and intrigue, the production features live musical accompaniment which nods at the Elizabethan Era instrumentation of Shakespeare's time. The powerhouse cast features Bessie Award-winner Albert Khoza as Gertrude, newcomer Aphiwe Dike as Hamlet, and Masilo herself as Ophelia. 

Sergio Bernal

October 23-27

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

Curtain Chat: Thursday, October 24

Tickets: $12-72$ (including fees)

Globally celebrated as “exhilarating and enchanting” (The Guardian), former Principal Dancer of the Ballet Nacional de España Sergio Bernal brings his first evening-length program in the US to The Joyce Theater. Created by Bernal and choreographer Ricardo Cue, A Night with Sergio Bernal melds the bravado and speed of Spanish flamenco with the grace and precision of ballet. Accompanied by three masterful musicians and fellow award-winning flamenco dancers, Bernal pushes both forms towards a new frontier. 

Garth Fagan Dance

October 29-November 3

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

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, October 30

Tickets: $12-$82 (including fees)

“Drawing on the grounded strength of modern dance, the vivacity of Afro-Caribbean dance, and the meticulousness of ballet” (The New York Times), Garth Fagan Dance sustains an over 50-year legacy of sharing unbridled energy and depth with audiences worldwide. Their return to The Joyce brings the New York City premieres of Artistic Director Norwood Pennewell's The Rite of Spring and Executive Director Natalie Rogers-Cropper's Life Receding, as well as stirring revivals by the company's founder, Fagan himself. Pennewell's The Rite of Spring offers the audience an intimate look into the Shaman class rituals -- intended to mold and empower The Chosen One, their newest initiate. Roger-Cropper's Life Receding debuts her premiere work on the company, exploring resilience and the impact of global warming on her native Caribbean islands.

Limón Dance Company

November 5-10

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

Curtain Chat: Thursday, November 7

Tickets: $12-82$ (including fees)

The Limón Dance Company celebrates its 78th season highlighting the formative experiences that shaped its founder's approach to humanistic storytelling. Embodying the excellence of early modern dance, the program opens with Doris Humphrey's captivating solo, Two Ecstatic Themes, followed by Limón's masterful retelling of Gethsemane in The Traitor. After a 45-year hiatus, Limón's playful drumming quartet Scherzo returns to the stage alongside the monumental Missa Brevis, a poignant tribute to resilience amidst the ruins of war. Newly commissioned by the Limón Dance Company, a world premiere by award-winning choreographer Kayla Farrish enthralls with a reimagining of two lost Limón works.

GALLIM

WONDERLAND

November 13-17

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

Curtain Chat: Thursday, November 14

Tickets: $12-82$ (including fees)

GALLIM returns to The Joyce with the New York premiere of Andrea Miller's WONDERLAND, a playground of ironies brought to life by the virtuosity, unconditional commitment, and fierce physicality of its dancers. Between selfie smiles and white knuckles, WONDERLAND examines pack mentality: animal instincts, social appetites, and colorful terrors. Sound design by Jakub Kiupinski & Cristina Spinei of Blind Ear Music gives a charming yet sinister edge to Miller's powerful movement. “Gutsy. Wild. Smart. Original.” - Dance Magazine

Complexions Contemporary Ballet

November 19-December 1

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

Special opening night gala performance: Tue, Nov 19 at 7pm

Family Matinee: Saturday, November 30 

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, November 20

Tickets: $12-82$ (including fees)

In its 30th Anniversary season, Complexions Contemporary Ballet returns celebrating decades of “highly committed artistry” (Dance Informa) under the direction of co-Founders Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. During its two-week season at The Joyce, Complexions brings a retrospective suite honoring Rhoden's choreographic legacy, featuring audience favorites Ave Maria, Growth, Naked Perfume, Mercy, Higher Ground, Star Dust, and other high-octane works with music ranging from Beethoven to Earth, Wind & Fire. Company premieres include Rhoden's take on Ravel's masterful Bolero and a vibrant ensemble work set to the music of Sir Elton John. Quintet, a neoclassical work with an original score by David Rozenblatt, and But Not Broken, a new solo to music by Phillip Glass, also take the stage. Commemorating this landmark season, the company presents 30, an anniversary tribute ballet with spoken word written and performed by Resident PoetJournalist Aaron Dworkin.

A Very SW!NG OUT Holiday

December 3-15

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

Family Matinee: Saturday, December 7 

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, December 4

Tickets: $12-72$ (including fees)

‘Tis the season to SW!NG! In a special holiday revival of the hit show, SW!NG OUT, acclaimed choreographer Caleb Teicher and their collaborators (Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, Nathan Bugh, and Eyal Vilner) invite you to revel in the joy of social dance and festive cheer! In A Very SW!NG OUT Holiday, Lindy Hop champions bring their talents to The Joyce's stage with live music by the Eyal Vilner Big Band, including perennial holiday favorites. In the second act, "don your gay apparel" and join the fun by dancing with your loved ones in an onstage post-show jam session!

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

December 17-January 5

Tue-Fri 7:30pm, Sat, 3pm & 7:30pm, Sun 3pm

Special performances: Sun, Dec 29 at 3pm & 7pm; Tue, Dec 31 at 4pm

Family Matinee: Saturday, December 21 

Curtain Chat: Wednesday, December 18

Tickets: $12-82$ (including fees)

For three weeks this holiday season, enter the satirical, skilled, and slapstick corner of the ballet world with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo! The company returns to The Joyce celebrating its 50th anniversary as the world's foremost gender-skewing comic ballet company. Parodying the conventions of romantic and classical ballet with hilarious reimaginings, The Trocks are sure to deliver “the funniest night you'll have at the ballet” (The Guardian). With two unforgettable programs, highlights include the New York premiere of Durante Verzola's Symphony, inspired by George Balanchine's Symphony in C, as well as Giselle (Act 2), Raymonda's Wedding, Swan Lake (Act 2), and more!

Ragamala Dance Company

Children of Dharma

January 8-12

Wed-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm

Curtain Chat: Thursday, January 9

Tickets: $12-62$ (including fees)