4 Summer Performances Happening Outside the Festival Umbrella
While much of the dance world converges on summer festivals throughout July and August, there’s still noteworthy programming happening outside those hubs. Here are four shows you ought to have on your radar.
Dream a Little Bigger
PARIS Hofesh Shechter plunges into the subconscious with Theatre of Dreams. The choreographer’s latest evening-length unearths the fantasies and emotions that permeate both dreams and the waking mind. Performed by Hofesh Shechter Company and a small band of live musicians, the new work premieres in Paris at Théâtre de la Ville June 27–July 17 ahead of a European tour this fall. hofesh.co.uk.
Ballet Is Black
WASHINGTON, DC Following its weeklong celebration of Black ballet dancers in 2022, Kennedy Center hosts Pathways to Performance: Exercises in Reframing the Narrative for a two-show engagement showcasing works by Black choreographers, danced by Black artists. Guest curated by Theresa Ruth Howard (who will bring Pathways to Jacob’s Pillow the following weekend), the program includes the first full staging of a recent work by Portia Adams and a premiere from Meredith Rainey alongside new commissions by Jennifer Archibald and Kiyon Ross, the latter a pas de deux created for Ashton Edwards and Zsilas Michael Hughes. Donald Byrd’s From Other Suns, which was commissioned for the 2022 edition of the program, also returns. July 2–3. kennedy-center.org.
Dorrance Dances
NEW YORK CITY Michelle Dorrance and her dream team of percussive dance collaborators return to The Joyce Theater with a brand-new work. July 16–21. joyce.org.
Who’s On Pointe?
SAN FRANCISCO Ballet22 (one of our 2022 “25 to Watch”) brings works by Houston Thomas, William Forsythe, and Christian Denice, and an excerpt from Giselle—all danced by men, mxn, and nonbinary dancers on pointe—to ODC Theater for its summer season. Aug. 9–11. ballet22.com.